Ratings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Judgments or appraisals of quality, value, or performance ; numerical or categorical scores given to rank or categorize items or individuals
2. Assessments made to determine the level or worth of something ; assigned values or positions within an organized scale or system
3. Estimates or reviews expressing the standard of something ; graded points or levels used to classify or compare

Etymology: "Ratings" is the plural of "rating," so its history is really the history of the noun it inflects. "Rating" is the form of "rate" used as a noun, meaning a valuation or a grade assigned to something, and the plural simply counts several such assessments: the scores a broadcast earns, the grades a critic gives a film, or the classes into which sailors or ships are sorted. The plural carries the sense of a collection of measured judgments rather than a single one.