summation

[ suh-mey-shuhn ]

/ səˈmeɪ ʃən /

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noun

the act or process of summing.

the result of this; an aggregate or total.

a review or recapitulation of previously stated facts or statements, often with a final conclusion or conclusions drawn from them.

Law. the final arguments of opposing attorneys before a case goes to the jury.

Physiology. the arousal of impulses by a rapid succession of stimuli, carried either by separate sensory neurons (spatial summation ) or by the same sensory neuron (temporal summation ).

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Origin of summation

1750–60; <Medieval Latin summātiōn- (stem of summātiō), equivalent to summāt(us) (past participle of summāre to sum; see -ate¹) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM summation

sum·ma·tion·al, adjective

Words nearby summation

summary offence, summary proceeding, summat, summate, Summa Theologica, summation, summation gallop, summation method, summative, summative assessment, summer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use summation in a sentence

It turns out that the ability to touch your toes is the summation of a number of different physiological factors, many of which we have no control over.
Why can’t we all touch our toes?|Claire Maldarelli|September 30, 2021|Popular-Science
My general summation of what occured is that it’s just one of those things that happen.
What Happens When You Fall Off a Mountain|jversteegh|September 14, 2021|Outside Online
Finally, this year, we got something approaching a summation of all these efforts.
Dear EU: It’s time to get a grip|Mike Butcher|June 25, 2021|TechCrunch
When asked about her decades in the trenches of exoneration work, Nethercott offers in summation a moment of absurdity.
With 12 men exonerated, the force behind Maryland’s Innocence Project hangs it up|Tim Prudente|June 3, 2021|Washington Post

In the end, the teams didn’t actually perform the full summation of shapes, which was beyond them.
The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End|George Musser|October 29, 2020|Quanta Magazine
It was the epitome of Kim Kardashian, and a fitting summation of the Year of Butt.
Year of the Butt: How the Booty Changed the World in 2014|Kevin Fallon|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And that is this sleazy rabbit hole in its most perfect summation.
The B Is Back: The Benghazi Hearings Are Bullsh*t|Michael Tomasky|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Per Kundera, tweets and blogs translate every link, adding ideology in the guise of summation.
John Mayer's Terrible Week|Rob Tannenbaum|February 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
“She is not Amanda the Ripper,” Bongiorno told the jury in her summation.
Amanda Knox's Last Chance|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
"3 words... Los Angeles Lifetime," suggested Tim Smith, a New York artists' studio manager, in a summation of the season.
Five Gays on Project Runway's Demise|Choire Sicha|November 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The summation is defined as the increase in entropy between the initial and the final states.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
In any case we may regard the smallest spots as the initial stages of variation, the larger as a cumulative summation of these.
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel
Please explain discrepancy between these reports and your own summation of ten hours previous.
Where I Wasn't Going|Walt Richmond
Without this counterweight, how false would be our final summation of the evidence upon most of the great state trials!
The Posthumous Works of Thomas De Quincey, Vol. II (2 vols)|Thomas De Quincey
Its summation is best expressed by the varied sights and emotions of an afternoon in mid-December.
Behind the Scenes in Warring Germany|Edward Lyell Fox

British Dictionary definitions for summation

summation

/ (sʌˈmeɪʃən) /

noun

the act or process of determining a sum; addition

the result of such an act or process

a summary

US law the concluding statements made by opposing counsel in a case before a court

Derived forms of summation

summational, adjectivesummative, adjective

Word Origin for summation

C18: from Medieval Latin summātiō, from summāre to total, from Latin summa sum 1

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

Medical definitions for summation

summation

[ sə-mā′shən ]

The process by which multiple or repeated stimuli can produce a response in a nerve, muscle, or other part that one stimulus alone cannot produce.

summation

Origin of summation

OTHER WORDS FROM summation

Words nearby summation

Words related to summation

How to use summation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for summation

Derived forms of summation

Word Origin for summation

Medical definitions for summation