Enumerable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be counted or listed in sequence or as elements of a set
2. Describing something that can be enumerated by counting or naming each part
3. Capable of having its elements or items clearly specified or totaled

Etymology: Enumerable is built from three Latin parts. The core is "numerus," meaning "number," which also gave English "numeral" and "numerate." The prefix "e-" is a form of "ex-," meaning "out," and "enumerare" meant "to count out," reckoning items one by one. The suffix "-abilis" meant "able to be," which English renders as "-able." An enumerable collection is one whose members can be counted out and named in turn. The adjective describes possibility rather than an actual act of counting, so a finite list qualifies even if nobody has yet written it out. The mathematical sense is where the term matters most. A set is enumerable when its elements can be arranged in a one-to-one list matched with the natural numbers. The integers pass this test, but the real numbers do not, which is why the idea carries weight well beyond everyday counting.

Synonyms: countable, measurable, quantifiable, distinct, finite

Antonyms: uncountable, infinite, indeterminate, imprecise, ambiguous