Cen"sus (?), n. [L. census, fr. censere. See Censor.] 1. (Bot. Antiq.) A numbering of the people, and valuation of their estate, for the purpose of imposing taxes, etc.; -- usually made once in five years.

2. An official registration of the number of the people, the value of their estates, and other general statistics of a country.

&fist; A general census of the United States was first taken in 1790, and one has been taken at the end of every ten years since.

• An official count of members of a population (not necessarily human,) usually residents or citizens in a particular region, often done at regular intervals.
  
• The act of collecting a census.