A register is a significant list or record of something. The term is most often used in reference to a cash register, which is where the point of sale transactions between a business and its customers are processed. It involves entering item prices, calculating totals, processing payments and issuing receipts. In a retail environment, a register is also the place where employees track inventory and manage returns. The register can be a physical device or an electronic system that enables employees to perform these tasks. Companies also maintain loan registers in respect of loans given to borrowers. These registers may be required to be presented to statutory authorities.
A company’s computer systems can use registers to store data and provide high-speed access to these values. In embedded computer systems, the register can act as a “brain” to speed up processes by providing easy access to frequently used values without having to retrieve them from main memory.
In computing, a register is a collection of (usually) bistable devices that can be manipulated to hold different data configurations. A register of n bistables can store a word of any length, and different interpretations can be assigned to this data for each register’s value. The content of a register can be shifted one position to the right or left, incremented (or decremented) and reset to zero. It is this flexibility that makes registers useful for storing information and performing computations in computer hardware.
A person can register their copyright for a document so that it is protected against misuse. They can also register a trademark so that they can protect their brand name from unfair competition. People can even register an event for the purpose of keeping records of all important details.
The term register can also be used as a verb, meaning that someone has signed up or enrolled for something. For example, he registered his car or she registered for the draft. A church keeps a registry of members’ birthdays or anniversaries.
Register can also be used to describe a certain tone or style of speech. It is the tone used with close friends and family, in conversations that are largely casual and in settings where slang or informal grammar is commonly employed. It is also the register used when interacting with a professional, such as a physician or a financial adviser.
The register can be used for many different purposes, from public records to event attendance databases and a log of an activity. In terms of events, the register can be used for registrations, raffles and other event requirements. For a more formal setting, the register can be used for organization databases and for documentation that is required for an event to be legalized. It can also be used for a legal database, where contracts are registered so that they have some legal bearing. A contract register is often done to ensure that the document contains all the important details about a deal, such as value, date, purpose and catch duration.