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total

Pronunciation: /ˈtəʊt(ə)l/

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Definition of total

adjective

1 [attributive] comprising the whole number or amount:a total cost of £4,000

2complete; absolute:it is a matter of total indifference to me a total stranger

noun

the whole number or amount of something:he scored a total of thirty-three points in total, 200 people were interviewed

verb (totals, totalling, totalled; US totals, totaling, totaled)

1 [with object] amount in number to:they were left with debts totalling £6,260
add up the full number or amount of:the scores were totalled

2 [with object] informal, chiefly North American damage (something, typically a vehicle) beyond repair; wreck: he almost totaled the car
kill or severely injure (someone): we’d just totaled a couple of teenage boys

Origin:

late Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin totalis, from totum 'the whole', neuter of Latin totus 'whole, entire'. The verb, at first in the sense 'add up', dates from the late 16th century

Spelling rule

Double the l when adding endings which begin with a vowel to words which end in a vowel plus l (as in travel): (totals, totalling, totalled).

total in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of total in the US English dictionary

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