Numeratio

Numeratio is a Latin noun meaning the act or process of numbering or counting. It derives from the verb numerare, to count, with the abstract noun suffix -tio. In Latin, numeratio was used to describe enumeration in manuscripts, legal records, and scholarly apparatus, such as the listing of items, clauses, or sources in a sequence.

In medieval and early modern scholarship, numeratio appears in glossaries and critical editions to indicate the order of passages, verses, or citations, and in catalogs or inventories that rely on numbered entries. The term is primarily encountered in historical or philological discussions; in contemporary English, the more common terms are numeration or enumeration, while numeratio is typically treated as a Latin term or a reference to historical usage.

Cognate terms exist in modern Romance languages: Italian numerazione, Spanish numeración, Portuguese numeração, and French numération, all referring to the act or system of numbering in general. In linguistics and computer science, the English term numeration is used to discuss the assignment of numbers to items or elements, whereas numeratio remains largely a historical or philological label.

Related topics include numeration, counting, enumeration, and numbering.