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Origin of sum

First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English summe, from Latin summa “sum,” noun use of feminine of summus “highest,” superlative of superus (see superior); (verb) Middle English summen (from Old French summer), from Medieval Latin summāre, derivative of summa

synonym study for sum

1. See number.

OTHER WORDS FROM sum

sumless, adjectivesum·less·ness, nounoutsum, verb (used with object), out·summed, out·sum·ming.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sum

some, sum

Other definitions for sum (2 of 3)

SUM

surface-to-underwater missile.

Other definitions for sum (3 of 3)

sum-

variant of sub- before m: summon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sum (1 of 2)

sum1
/ (sʌm) /

noun
verb sums, summing or summed
(often foll by up) to add or form a total of (something)
(tr) to calculate the sum of (the terms in a sequence)
See also sum up

Word Origin for sum

C13 summe, from Old French, from Latin summa the top, sum, from summus highest, from superus in a higher position; see super

British Dictionary definitions for sum (2 of 2)

sum2
/ (sʊm) /

noun plural sumy (sʊmɪ)
the standard monetary unit of Uzbekistan, divided into 100 tiyin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sum

sum
[ sŭm ]

The result of adding numbers or quantities. The sum of 6 and 9, for example, is 15, and the sum of 4x and 5x is 9x.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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