noun / adjective / verb

aggregate

AG-rih-gut/ˈæɡrɪɡət/

A whole formed by combining separate parts.

The separate piles of pebbles combine into one larger aggregate.

Three small separate piles of differently colored pebbles feed into one larger combined central pile, clear total formed from parts; no arrows, numbers or trays.

Etymology

agLatinto

+gregLatingather into a flock

+ateLatinparticipial ending

Gathering things into a flock supplied the image of separate members united as one. An aggregate extends that image to parts or amounts combined and regarded as a single total.

In context

Modern-Day Debate85:07

in aggregate when you tally everything up women are going to be the big losers of this definitional shift

Should Trans Women Be Able to Compete in Women's Sports? | Sargon vs Brenton

More examples

Small donations formed an impressive aggregate.
The researchers aggregated results from several studies.
The aggregate score put our team ahead by two points.

Forms

aggregate · aggregates · aggregated · aggregating

aggregation noun — The gathering of parts into a whole.

Similar words

total: Emphasizes the final amount rather than its separate components.
collection: May group items without treating them as a single whole.