Excel Lessons 04-06 Vocabulary

Absolute cell reference - A reference to a specific cell or range of cells regardless of where the formula is
located in the worksheet.

Align - Arrange in a line or bring into alignment.

Attribute - A formatting characteristic, such as bold, italic, or underlined text.

Autosum - A formula that calculates (by default) the total from the adjacent cell through the first
nonnumeric cell using the SUM function.

AVERAGE function - A function that returns the mean of the arguments.

Calculation operator - Operators that specify the calculations to be performed.

Cell reference - A reference that identifies a cell’s location in the worksheet based on its row number
and column letter.

Conditional formatting - An Excel feature that enables you to specify how cells that meet one or more
given conditions should be displayed.

Constant - A number or text value entered directly into a formula.

COUNT function - A function that determines how many cells in a range contain a number.

COUNTA function - A function that returns the number of cells in the selected range that contain text or
values, but not blank cells.

COUNTBLANK function - A function that counts the number of blank cells in a range.

External reference - A cell or range in a worksheet in another Excel workbook, or a defined name in
another workbook.

Font - A set of text properties that affects the typeface, size, and similar aspects of text.

Format Painter - A feature found in most Office applications that allows you to quickly copy formatting
attributes that you have already applied and “paint” those attributes onto other text, shapes, pictures,
and worksheet cells.

Formula - An equation that performs calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division, on values in a worksheet.

Function - A predefined formula that performs a calculation.

Hyperlink - A shortcut that enables you to navigate to a web page or a location in another file in just one
click of the mouse.

MAX function - A function that returns the largest value in a set of values.

Merged cells - Two or more cells combined into a single cell.

MIN function - A function that determines the minimum value in a range of cells.
Mini toolbar - A formatting tool that appears above or below the shortcut menu when you right-click a
cell and that displays the most commonly used formatting commands.

Mixed cell reference - A cell reference that uses an absolute column or row reference, but not both.

Named range - A group of cells, and occasionally a single cell, with a designated name.

Nested parentheses - Parentheses inside of parentheses within a formula.

Operand - An element that identifies the values to be used in a calculation.

Order of operations - The rules Excel follows to calculate any formula that contains two or more
operators.

Paste Special - A tool that enables you to control specifically what you want to paste after using the
Copy or Cut commands, such as cell content, formulas, values, formatting, and much more.

Relative cell reference - A cell reference that adjusts the cell identifier automatically if you insert or
delete columns or rows, or if you copy the formula to another cell.

Rules Manager - A tool that enables you to set the order of multiple rules, fine-tune rule settings, and
more.

Scope - The location within which Excel recognizes a named range, which is either a specific worksheet
or the entire workbook.

Style - A set of formatting attributes that you can apply to a cell or range of cells more easily than by
setting each attribute individually.

SUM function - A function that totals all of the cells in a range.

Value - A number, a cell address, a date, text, or Boolean data in Excel. Regarding formulas, it is usually a
number or cell address.

Variable - A symbol or name that represents something else; it can be a cell address, a range of cells, and
so on.

Wrap - To automatically display data on the next line when it is too long to display within the cell’s
width. Wrapping automatically increases a cell’s height.