Avgiven

Avgiven is a term used in statistics and data analysis to denote the average of a subset of values that satisfy a given condition. The word is a portmanteau of “average” and “given.” In practice, avgiven refers to the arithmetic mean of all observations in a data set that meet a specified predicate, rather than the mean of the entire data set.

The concept is closely related to the conditional mean, but differs in emphasis and formal use. Avgiven typically implies uniform weighting within the conditioned subset and does not by itself specify an underlying probabilistic model for the conditioning event. It is often presented as a straightforward, operational idea: filter the data by the given condition, then compute the mean of the filtered values.

In programming and data analysis, avgiven can be implemented by applying a filter to select data that satisfy the condition and then computing the mean of the filtered values. This makes avgiven a practical illustration of how subset selection affects summary statistics, separate from theoretical models of the data-generating process.

Origin and usage of the term remain informal. Avgiven appears mainly in teaching examples, introductory discussions, and some experimental libraries, where the distinction between an overall average and an average conditioned on a criterion is illustrated clearly. In formal writing, standard terms such as conditional mean or restricted mean are typically preferred to avoid ambiguity.

See also: conditional mean, restricted mean, subset mean.