summation

[suh-mey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of summing.

2. the result of this; an aggregate or total.

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

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

5. 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.

summation

/ sʌˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of determining a sum; addition

2. the result of such an act or process

3. a summary

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

Other Word Forms

• summative adjective
• summational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of summation¹

1750–60; < Medieval Latin summātiōn- (stem of summātiō ), equivalent to summāt ( us ) (past participle of summāre to sum; -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of summation¹

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

Example Sentences

But “One Battle After Another” doesn’t feel like a summation.

From Los Angeles Times

An honorable, accurate summation of a legacy engrossingly laid out in this economically presented hour.

From Salon

Wolf knows that, without his intending it, “Pee-wee as Himself” will be viewed as a grand summation of someone who never quite knew what to make of himself.

From Los Angeles Times

If you were looking for a handy summation of what's wrong with the Democratic Party, and many voters are, you could do a lot worse than Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

From Salon

The summation of my sources’ answers didn’t surprise me, but it did leave me asking more.

From Salon