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n. 1. Mathematics a. An amount obtained as a result of adding numbers. b. An arithmetic problem: a child good at sums. 2. The whole amount, quantity, or number; an aggregate: the sum of the team's combined experience. 3. An amount of money: paid an enormous sum. 4. A summary: my view of the world, in sum. 5. The central idea or point; the gist. tr.v. summed, sum·ming, sums Phrasal Verb: 1. Mathematics To add. 2. To give a summary of; summarize. sum up 1. To present the substance of (material) in a condensed form; summarize: sum up the day's news; concluded the lecture by summing up. 2. To describe or assess concisely: an epithet that sums up my feelings. [Middle English summe, from Old French, from Latin summa, from feminine of summus, highest; see uper in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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