calculate

English

Papers and electronic calculators are common tools for calculation.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin calculātus, perfect passive participle of calculō (“I reckon, originally by means of pebbles”), from calculus (“a pebble”). Refer to calculus for origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkælkjʊleɪt/, /ˈkælkjəleɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cal‧cu‧late

Verb

calculate (third-person singular simple present calculates, present participle calculating, simple past and past participle calculated)

1. (transitive, mathematics) To determine the value of something or the solution to something by a mathematical process.

   Calculate the square root of 3 to 10 decimal places.

2. (intransitive, mathematics) To determine values or solutions by a mathematical process; reckon.
3. (intransitive, US, dialectal) To plan; to expect; to think.
   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.

4. To ascertain or predict by mathematical or astrological computations the time, circumstances, or other conditions of; to forecast or compute the character or consequences of.
   • William Shakespeare

     A cunning man did calculate my birth.

   to calculate or cast one's nativity

5. To adjust for purpose; to adapt by forethought or calculation; to fit or prepare by the adaptation of means to an end.
   • Archbishop Tillotson

     [Religion] is […] calculated for our benefit.

   to calculate a system of laws for the government and protection of a free people

Synonyms

• (determine value of or solution to): compute, reckon (old), work out
• (determine values or solutions): compute, reckon (old)

Derived terms

• backcalculate
• calculating

Related terms

• calculation
• calculus
• calculator
• incalculable

Translations

(transitive) to determine value

• Arabic: حَسَبَ‎ (ḥasaba)
• Bulgarian: изчислявам (bg) (izčisljavam), пресмятам (bg) (presmjatam)
• Catalan: calcular (ca) (used in both standard Catalan and Algherese)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 計算 (zh), 计算 (zh) (jìsuàn), 算 (zh) (suàn), 計 (zh), 计 (zh) (jì)

• Czech: spočítat
• Dutch: berekenen (nl), uitwerken (nl)
• Esperanto: kalkuli
• Finnish: laskea (fi)
• French: calculer (fr)
• German: kalkulieren (de), berechnen (de), ausrechnen (de)
• Greek: υπολογίζω (el) (ypologízo), λογαριάζω (el) (logariázo)

  Ancient: λογίζομαι (logízomai)

• Hebrew: חישב‎ (khishév)
• Hungarian: kiszámít (hu)
• Ido: kalkular (io)
• Italian: calcolare (it)
• Japanese: 計算する (ja) (けいさんする, keisan suru)
• Korean: 정산하다 (jeongsanhada), 계산하다 (ko) (gyesanhada)

• Lao: ຄຳນວນ (lo) (kham nūan)
• Latin: ratiocinor
• Malay: mengira
• Maori: tatau, tātai
• Norman: caltchuler
• Polish: wyliczać, kalkulować (pl)
• Portuguese: calcular (pt)
• Romanian: calcula (ro), socoti (ro)
• Russian: вычисля́ть (ru) impf (vyčisljátʹ), счита́ть (ru) impf (sčitátʹ), подсчи́тывать (ru) impf (podsčítyvatʹ)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: calculai, carculai, calcurà

  Logudorese: calculare, carculare

• Sassarese: calcurà
• Scottish Gaelic: tomhais
• Serbo-Croatian: kalkulirati (sh), izračunati (sh)
• Spanish: calcular (es)
• Swedish: beräkna (sv), räkna ut (sv)
• Tagalog: tayahin, magtaya

(intransitive) determine values or solutions

• Arabic: حَسَبَ‎ (ḥasaba)
• Burmese: တွက် (my) (twak)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 計算 (zh), 计算 (zh) (jìsuàn)

• Dutch: rekenen (nl), uitwerken (nl)
• Finnish: laskea (fi)
• French: calculer (fr)
• German: rechnen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: λογίζομαι (logízomai)

• Hungarian: számol (hu), számítást végez
• Italian: calcolare (it)
• Japanese: 計算する (ja) (けいさんする, keisan suru), 算定する (さんていする, santei suru), 算出する (さんしゅつする, sanshutsu suru), 見積もる (ja) (みつもる, mitsumoru)
• Korean: 계산하다 (ko) (gyesanhada)

• Latin: ratiocinor
• Malay: mengira
• Maori: tatau, tātai
• Norman: caltchuler
• Portuguese: calcular (pt)
• Romanian: calcula (ro)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: calculai, carculai

  Logudorese: calculare, carculare

• Sassarese: calcurà
• Sicilian: calcular
• Spanish: calcular (es)
• Swedish: räkna (sv) (count; do calculations in general), beräkna (sv), räkna ut (sv) (calculate a specific answer)

(intransitive) plan

• Czech: kalkulovat
• Dutch: plannen (nl), uitwerken (nl)
• Finnish: suunnitella (fi), laskelmoida
• German: kalkulieren (de), sich etwas ausrechnen
• Hungarian: kikalkulál, kitervel (hu)

• Japanese: たくらむ (ja) (takuramu)
• Korean: 꾀하다 (ko) (kkoehada)
• Spanish: (transitive) calcular (es)
• Swedish: beräkna (sv), räkna ut (sv)

Further reading

• calculate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• calculate in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• “calculate” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

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Latin

Verb

calculāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of calculō
   1. "calculate ye, compute ye"
   2. (figuratively) "consider ye as, esteem ye"

Participle

calculāte

1. vocative masculine singular of calculātus