[Python-Dev] Re: PEP 279 (original) (raw)

Greg Ewing greg@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz
Thu, 04 Apr 2002 17:05:14 +1200 (NZST)

Raymond Hettinger <python@rcn.com>:

enumerate -- I like this one best because it does what it says.

But it doesn't. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, enumerate means either "to ascertain the number of : COUNT" or "to specify one after another : LIST".

The first is what len() does, and the second doesn't require doing anything. Neither of these is what we want.

I notice that "numerate" is listed in the thesaurus as a synonym for "enumerate". Maybe it could serve as a compromise between "enumerate" and "number"?

Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept, +--------------------------------------+ University of Canterbury, | A citizen of NewZealandCorp, a | Christchurch, New Zealand | wholly-owned subsidiary of USA Inc. | greg@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz +--------------------------------------+