DIMENSIONS: MEASURE / Proportion
Estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out.
R E F E R E N C E S
Estimate vt... [L aestematus, pp. of aestemare to value, estimate] [ca. '1532]. 1 archaic a: Esteem b: Appraise 2a: to judge tentatively or approximately the value, worth, or significance of b: to determine roughly the size, extent, or nature of c: to produce a statement of the approximate cost of 3: Judge, Conclude...
2 Estimate n [1563] 1: the act of appraising or valuing: Calculation 2: an opinion or judgment of the nature, character, or quality of a person or thing [had a high __ of his abilities] 3a: a rough or approximate calculation b: a numerical value obtained from a statistical sample and assigned to a population paramenter 4: a statement of the cost of work to be done
Estimation n [14c] 1: Judgment, Opinion 2a: the act of estimating something b: the value, amount, or size arrived at in an estimate 3: Esteem, Honor. -Syn ESTIMATE, APPRAISE, EVALUATE, VALUE, RATE, ASSESS mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance. Estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out [estimated the crowd at two hundred]. Appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment [having their house appraised]. Evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary [evaluate a student's work]. Value equals Appraise but without implying expertness of judgment [a watercolor valued by the donor at $500]. Rate adds to Estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values [a highly rated restaurant]. Assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action [officials are trying to assess the damage].
[Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield, MA, USA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1995.]
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