Estimation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɛs.tɪˈmeɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. The process of making an approximate calculation or judgment about the value, size, or nature of something
2. The act of assessing or calculating an approximate value, quantity, or significance of an object or scenario
3. A judgment or calculation made to approximate the value, size, or quality of something based on available information

Etymology: "Estimation" is a plain example of a Latin word that came into English by way of French. Its ancestor is Latin "aestimatio," a noun built from the verb "aestimare," meaning to assess the worth or value of something. That verb is the root of the English "estimate," which was borrowed from the Latin past participle "aestimatus." English then added the suffix "-ion," a common ending for turning a verb into a noun of action or result, and the Old French "estimacion" carried the word across to Middle English, where it took the form "estimacioun" or "estimacion." The core sense has stayed close to its Latin root. A Roman using "aestimatio" was concerned with putting a price or value on a thing, and an English speaker today who gives an estimation is doing the same, usually with the qualification that the figure is approximate rather than exact. The word also carries a second meaning in the sense of a considered opinion or judgment of someone's character or worth, which grew naturally out of the idea of weighing a thing's value.

Synonyms: approximation, assessment, evaluation, calculation

Antonyms: certainty, fact