Origin: Latin suffix -ory
Inventory has 8 different meanings across 2 categories:
a detailed list of all the items in stock
"The manager spent the morning updating the inventory after noticing several discrepancies between what was on the shelf and what the computer showed."
(accounting) the value of a firm's current assets including raw materials and work in progress and finished goods
"The accountant adjusted the company's inventory to reflect the actual market value of all unsold merchandise, raw materials, and items currently being manufactured."
making an itemized list of merchandise or supplies on hand
"an inventory may be necessary to see if anything is missing"
"they held an inventory every month"
The stock of an item on hand at a particular location or business.
"The manager spent the morning updating the inventory to ensure every product in the warehouse was accounted for."
In plain English: Inventory is a list of all the items you have stored or available to sell.
"The store manager spent the morning updating the inventory to ensure all stock levels were accurate."
Usage: Inventory refers to the total stock of goods held by a business or located in a specific place. Use this term when discussing what items are currently available for sale or storage rather than the act of counting them.
make or include in an itemized record or report
"Inventory all books before the end of the year"
To take stock of the resources or items on hand; to produce an inventory.
"Before restocking the shelves, the manager decided to walk through the warehouse and count every item currently in inventory."
In plain English: To inventory something means to count and list all the items you have.
"The store manager decided to inventory all the shelves after the storm."
Usage: As a verb, inventory means to count and list all items in a specific location to determine what stock is available. You use it when you need to physically check supplies or goods rather than simply referring to the written list itself.
The word inventory entered English via the French language as a list of items found during an accounting check. It ultimately traces back to the Latin verb for "to find out," reflecting its original purpose of recording discovered goods.