tabellera

Tabellera is a Italian term with a largely historical and specialized usage, derived from tabella meaning a small tablet or table. It generally refers to something related to the creation, organization, or display of tabular data, and can denote either a person or a device involved in tabulation.

As a noun, tabellera can signify a clerk or functionary whose role was to prepare tables of information in administrative, accounting, statistical, or archival settings. In historical records, such a figure would compile lists, inventories, censuses, or other data arranged in tabular form. In a more material sense, tabellera can also describe an instrument, stand, or apparatus used to assemble or display ledgers, registers, or index-like sheets that are arranged in rows and columns.

The term is relatively uncommon in modern Italian. Today, more precise or widely understood terms such as tabella (table), registro (register), libro contabile (accounting book), or archivio (archive) are typically used. In some contexts, the concept of tabulation is conveyed by verbs such as tabellare or by other specialized nouns, depending on the domain (statistics, librarianship, or bookkeeping).

Etymology wise, tabellera comes from tabella, with the agentive or instrumental suffix -era, signaling an association with making or handling tables.

See also: tabella, tabellone, tabellare.