What is a word which refers to any number of items that exist as measured quantities in something? This is like measurand, similar to how operand is some kind of modifier to an overall o.
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2Measurand is a valid word, popular in technical circles but has not entered the dictionaries yet.– BravoMar 18, 2012 at 12:05
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2Without more context, this is Not a Real Question. It depends entirely on the particular kind of items we're talking about, and the the measuring/packaging/delivery system involved.– FumbleFingersMar 18, 2012 at 16:36
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Wow, I thought I'd made the word up. I was hoping for a general response as I was completely stuck for ideas on what word was escaping my mental clutches– deed02392Mar 18, 2012 at 18:31
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2 Answers
The word "measure" itself can mean a measured quantity. From NOAD:
measure n
2 a standard unit used to express the size, amount, or degree of something: a furlong is an obsolete measure of length | tables of weights and measures.
• a system or scale of such units: the original dimensions were in imperial measure.
• a particular amount of something: a measure of egg white as a binding agent.
• a standard official amount of an alcoholic drink as served in a licensed establishment.
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How exasperating are these upstart dictionaries that refer to furlongs as "obsolete", when everyone knows the word is in common use for lengths of horse races, and also in the common expression furlongs per fortnight! (That linked page contains a gaffe of its own, referring to a rod as an "obscure unit of length measuring 16.5 feet." But rod is so far from being obscure that, for example, canoe portage lengths are given in rods without even saying so.) Mar 18, 2012 at 17:36
Absent context, terms like datum ("a measurement of something on a scale understood by both the recorder (a person or device) and the reader"), number, statistic ("a single item in a statistical study"), measurement ("magnitude (or extent or amount) determined by measurement"), and previously-suggested measure and measurand are as good as any.
answered Mar 18, 2012 at 17:16
