enumerator
UK[ɪˈnjuːməreɪtə]US[ɪˈnuːməreɪtər]
n
a person or thing that counts or lists items systematically.
n
(computing) an object or function that provides a sequence of items, one at a time.
Morpheme Breakdown
e
numer
ator
e
numer
ator
Etymology
The word 'enumerator' is built directly upon the Latin verb 'enumerare', which means 'to count out' or 'to reckon'. This verb itself is a compound of the prefix 'e-' (out) and the root 'numerus' (number), conveying the literal action of numbering items out in a list. The agent suffix '-ator' was then appended to form a noun denoting the one who performs this action. Thus, the term's journey from the concrete Latin act of counting out items to its modern abstract meanings—encompassing both a human census-taker and a programming construct that yields sequential data—logically follows the core concept of systematic, item-by-item accounting.
Analysis
Structure: e + numer + ator
e (Latin prefix): A variant of 'ex-', meaning 'out'.
numer (Latin root): From 'numerus', meaning 'number'.
ator (Latin suffix): An agent noun suffix, meaning 'a person or thing that does something'.
Examples
The census enumerator visited every household in the district to collect data.
In the code, an enumerator was used to loop through the collection of results.
She worked as an enumerator for the statistical survey, meticulously recording each response.