calculus

noun

cal·​cu·​lus ˈkal-kyə-ləs How to pronounce calculus (audio)
plural calculi ˈkal-kyə-ˌlī How to pronounce calculus (audio)
-ˌlē
also calculuses
1
a
: a method of computation or calculation in a special notation (as of logic or symbolic logic)
b
: the mathematical methods comprising differential and integral calculus
often used with the
2
: calculation
… even political conservatives agree that an economic calculus must give way to a strategic consciousness when national or global security is at stake.Stephen H. Schneider
3
a
: a concretion usually of mineral salts around organic material found especially in hollow organs or ducts
4
: a system or arrangement of intricate or interrelated parts

Did you know?

In Latin calculus meant “pebble.” Because the Romans used pebbles to do addition and subtraction on a counting board, the word became associated with computation. Other English derivatives include calculator and calculation. Calculus itself has been borrowed into English as a medical term that refers to masses of matter in the body such as kidney stones (a straightforward extension of the meaning “pebble”) and to refer to a system of mathematical computation.

Examples of calculus in a Sentence

by my calculus the more efficient air conditioner will have paid for itself within a span of five years
Recent Examples on the Web
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And whatever mutations the virus gains in the future could change the risk calculus altogether. Will Stone, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025 Many of these owners find the economic calculus of a sidewalk shed appealing: The cost to purchase, maintain, and install a sidewalk shed depends on the size of a building and other factors but can cost ~$150 per linear foot, for a total that can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 14 Mar. 2025 But the political calculus is different for Democrats in the Senate, because their votes will be needed to avoid a shutdown. Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025 Despite the attention the OMB calculus gets, independent agencies have never received the E.O. 12866 treatment despite being their being among the most significant regulators. Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for calculus

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, "pebble, bladder or kidney stone, pebble used for calculating on a counting board, method or result of calculation, account," perhaps irregular diminutive of calc-, calx "lime, limestone" — more at chalk entry 1

Note: This etymology was accepted by the Latin grammarian Sextus Pompeius Festus, though the senses differ markedly. Perhaps more likely is a connection with Greek káchlēx "shingle (on a shoreline)," usually associated with kachlázein "to splash, murmur, crash (of waves)," taken to be onomatopoeic. However, R. Beekes (Etymological Dictionary of Greek) alludes to the forms kóchlax (in the Septuagint) and áchlax (in the Suda, a tenth-century Byzantine encyclopedia), variants with features (o alternating with a, k alternating with zero) that, according to Beekes, mark borrowing from a non-Indo-European substratum. This might presuppose that both calculus and káchlēx were borrowed from a common source.

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of calculus was in 1666

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Cite this Entry

“Calculus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calculus. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

calculus

noun
cal·​cu·​lus ˈkal-kyə-ləs How to pronounce calculus (audio)
plural calculi -ˌlī How to pronounce calculus (audio)
-ˌlē
also calculuses
1
: a branch of higher mathematics concerned especially with rates of change and the finding of lengths, areas, and volumes
2
a
: a mass that consists mostly of mineral salts and is formed in a hollow organ or bodily duct

Medical Definition

calculus

noun
cal·​cu·​lus -ləs How to pronounce calculus (audio)
plural calculi -ˌlī, -ˌlē How to pronounce calculus (audio) also calculuses
1
: a concretion usually of mineral salts around organic material found especially in hollow organs or ducts
2
: a concretion on teeth : tartar

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