verb / noun

count

KOWNT/kaʊnt/

To reckon an item as part of a total.

The child counts the shells, pointing to each one in turn.

A Latina child counting five shells laid in a row, pointing to each shell with concentration, no writing.

Etymology

The ancestor meant to reckon things together, directly matching the act of finding a total. Count and compute are different English outcomes of that same Latin verb.

In context

Estonius0:19

there are nine key tapes in the basement of the White House can you count them one two three four five six seven eight nine

National Lampoon (John Belushi/Chevy Chase) - Pennsylvania Ave. (Nixon/Sesame Street Parody) [1974]

More examples

She counts the tickets twice before opening the doors.
The final count is twenty guests.
Every minute counts when someone needs urgent help.

Forms

count · counts · counted · counting

countable adjective — Able to be counted as separate units.

Similar words

include: Emphasizes membership in a group rather than calculating its size.
tally: Often suggests keeping a running record of a total.
enumerate: More formal; emphasizes listing or numbering items individually.