# estimate
## English
### Alternative forms

* æstimate (archaic)

### Pronunciation

* (UK)
** (noun): IPA: /ˈɛs.tɪ.mət/
** (verb): IPA: /ˈɛs.tɪˌmeɪt/
* (US)
** (noun):IPA: /ˈɛs.tə.mət/
** Audio (US):(file)
** (verb): IPA: /ˈɛs.təˌmeɪt/
** Audio (US):(file)

### Etymology 1

From Middle English estimat, borrowed from Latin aestimātus (“valuing, estimate”, only used in the ablative singular: "aestimātū..." (in valuing...)), from aestimō +‎ -tus (“action noun-forming suffix”).

#### Noun

estimate (plural estimates)
* A rough calculation or assessment of the value, size, or cost of something.
    Synonyms: estimation, appraisal
    Coordinate term: esteem
* (construction and business) A document (or verbal notification) specifying how much a job is likely to cost.
    Hypernym: quote
** 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 3, in Well Tackled!‎:“They know our boats will stand up to their work,” said Willison, “and that counts for a good deal. A low estimate from us doesn't mean scamped work, but just that we want to keep the yard busy over a slack time.”
* An upper limitation on some positive quantity.
** 1992, Louis de Branges, “The convergence of Euler functions”, in Journal of Functional Analysis, →DOI, page 185:The desired norm estimate is now obtained from the identity... [referring to an earlier statement saying that a certain norm is less than or equal to a certain expression]

##### Derived terms

* ballpark estimate
* cost estimate
* counterestimate
* Fermi estimate
* guesstimate
* guestimate
* misestimate
* reestimate
* subestimate

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin aestimātus, perfect passive participle of aestimō (“to estimate”) (see -ate), older form aestumō (“to value, rate, esteem”); from Old Latin *ais-temos (“one who cuts copper”), meaning one in the Roman Republic who mints money. Compare Middle English estymatt (“reputed”) / estimat. See also the doublet esteem, as well as aim.

#### Verb

estimate (third-person singular simple present estimates, present participle estimating, simple past and past participle estimated)
* To calculate roughly, often from imperfect data.
** 1965, Ian Hacking, Logic of Statistical Inference‎:I estimate that I need 400 board feet of lumber to complete a job, and then order 350 because I do not want a surplus, or perhaps order 450 because I do not want to make any subsequent orders.
** 2003, Alexander J. Field, Gregory Clark, William A. Sundstrom, Research in Economic History‎:Higher real prices for durables are estimated to have reduced their consumption per capita by 1.09% in 1930, […]
* To judge and form an opinion of the value of, from imperfect data.
** 1691, [John Locke], Some Considerations of the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest, and Raising the Value of Money. […], London: […] Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1692, →OCLC:It is by the weight of silver, and not the name of the piece, that men estimate commodities and exchange them.
** 1870, John Campbell Shairp, Culture and Religion in Some of Their Relations:It is always very difficult to estimate the age in which you are living.

##### Synonyms

* appraise
* assess
* approximate

##### Derived terms

* estimable
* estimatable
* estimatingly
* estimation
* estimator
* guesstimate
* guestimate
* misestimate
* overestimate
* reestimate
* subestimate
* underestimate

##### Translations
### Etymology 3

From Latin aestimātus (“estimated”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 2 for more. Originally used as the past participle of estimate; compare generate or communicate.

#### Adjective

estimate (comparative more estimate, superlative most estimate)
* (obsolete, rare) estimated

### Further reading

* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “estimate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
* Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “estimate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
* “estimate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* etatisme, meatiest, seat time, tea-times, teatimes, étatisme

## Italian
### Etymology 1
#### Verb

estimate
* inflection of estimare:
** second-person plural present indicative
** second-person plural imperative

### Etymology 2
#### Participle

estimate f pl
* feminine plural of estimato

### Anagrams

* mestiate, metatesi

## Spanish
### Verb

estimate
* second-person singular voseo imperative of estimar combined with te