estimate

Alternative forms

• æstimate (archaic)

Etymology

From Latin aestimatus, past participle of aestimō, older form aestumo (“to value, rate, esteem”); from Old Latin *ais-temos (“one who cuts copper”), meaning one in the Roman Republic who mints money. See also esteem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛstɨmɨt/ (noun)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛstɨˌmeɪ̪t/ (verb)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

estimate (plural estimates)

1. A general idea about the value, size, or cost of (something).
2. (construction and business) A document (or verbal notification) specifying how much a job will probably cost.
   • 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 3, in Well Tackled!‎:

     “They know our boats will stand up to their work,” said Willison, “and that counts for a good deal. A low estimate from us doesn't mean scamped work, but just that we want to keep the yard busy over a slack time.”

3. An upper limitation on some positive quantity.
   • 1992, Louis de Branges, “The convergence of Euler functions”, in Journal of Functional Analysis‎, page 185:

     The desired norm estimate is now obtained from the identity... [referring to an earlier statement saying that a certain norm is less than or equal to a certain expression]

Verb

estimate (third-person singular simple present estimates, present participle estimating, simple past and past participle estimated)

1. To calculate roughly, often from imperfect data.
   • 1965, Ian Hacking, Logic of Statistical Inference‎:

     I estimate that I need 400 board feet of lumber to complete a job, and then order 350 because I do not want a surplus, or perhaps order 450 because I do not want to make any subsequent orders.

   • 2003, Alexander J. Field, Gregory Clark, William A. Sundstrom, Research in Economic History‎:

     Higher real prices for durables are estimated to have reduced their consumption per capita by 1.09% in 1930, ...

2. To judge and form an opinion of the value of, from imperfect data.
   • John Locke

     It is by the weight of silver, and not the name of the piece, that men estimate commodities and exchange them.

   • J. C. Shairp

     It is always very difficult to estimate the age in which you are living.

Further reading

• estimate in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• “estimate” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2018.
• estimate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• etatisme, meatiest, seat time, tea-times, teatimes, étatisme

Verb

estimate

1. second-person plural present indicative of estimare
2. second-person plural imperative of estimare
3. feminine plural of estimato