Tally

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈtæli/

Definitions

1. A method for keeping an organized account of scores, items, or votes over time
2. A record kept to track quantities, numbers, or votes ; to calculate or sum up amounts accurately
3. An account of items or results recorded sequentially ; to compile or total numbers systematically

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "tally" is that it began as a physical stick, not a sum. Medieval Latin "tallia" came from Latin "talea," meaning a cutting, rod or stick, and English took the word from Anglo-Norman and Old French "taille," a notch cut into a piece of wood to record a debt. Each notch stood for an amount owed, and the stick was split lengthwise so that creditor and debtor each kept a matching half. Counting was originally done by cutting, and the numbers lived in the wood. From that notch-and-stick sense came the verb "to tally," meaning to match up one thing against another, and the modern sense of a running count. The root also survives across Scandinavia: Swedish "talja" and Danish "talje" both mean tally, and they belong with an Old East Norse verb meaning to carve.

Synonyms: count, score, total, record, enumerate

Antonyms: ignore, disregard, neglect