This technical administrative term denoted the Roman census—a periodic registration of persons and property for taxation and civic organization. Classical Greek used it broadly for registers, lists, and declarations, but in New Testament times it specifically referred to the empire-wide enrollments ordered by imperial decree. Luke mentions it twice, both times anchoring Gospel events in datable history: the census under Quirinius that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, and the census under Quirinius that sparked Judas the Galilean's revolt. The multilingual glosses converge on 'census' and 'registration,' reflecting the bureaucratic precision of the term.