Histogram

//ˈhɪstəˌɡɹæm// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A graphical display of numerical data in the form of upright bars, with the area of each bar representing frequency.

    "Such distinctions, however, require detailed information, such as histograms of the distribution of energy use among residential customers, both by month and by year."

  2. 2
    a bar chart representing a frequency distribution; heights of the bars represent observed frequencies wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To represent (data) as a histogram. transitive

Example

More examples

"Such distinctions, however, require detailed information, such as histograms of the distribution of energy use among residential customers, both by month and by year."

Etymology

Probably from Ancient Greek ἱστός (histós, “mast”) + -γραμμα (-gramma), although it is sometimes claimed to have been derived from historical + diagram; coined in 1891 by English mathematician Karl Pearson.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.