calculus

English

Etymology

• Borrowed from Latin calculus (“a pebble or stone used as reckoning counters in abacus”) , diminutive of calx (“limestone”) + -ulus.
• Mathematical topic is from differential calculus.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkæl.kjʊ.ləs/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkæl.kjə.ləs/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

calculus (countable and uncountable, plural calculi or calculuses)

1. (dated, countable) Calculation; computation.
2. (countable, mathematics) Any formal system in which symbolic expressions are manipulated according to fixed rules.

   lambda calculus

   predicate calculus

3. (uncountable, often definite, the calculus) Differential calculus and integral calculus considered as a single subject; analysis.
5. (countable, medicine) A stony concretion that forms in a bodily organ.

   renal calculus ( = kidney stone)

6. (uncountable, dentistry) Deposits of calcium phosphate salts on teeth.
7. (countable) A decision-making method, especially one appropriate for a specialised realm.
   • 2008 December 16, “Cameron calls for bankers’ ‘day of reckoning’”, in Financial Times:

     The Tory leader refused to state how many financiers he thought should end up in jail, saying: “There is not some simple calculus."

Synonyms

• (calculation, computation): ciphering, reckoning; see also Thesaurus:calculation
• (in analysis): infinitesimal calculus
• (in medicine): stone
• (in dentistry): dental calculus, tartar

Derived terms

• calculus of moving surfaces
• calculus of sums and differences
• calculus of variations
• dental calculus
• differential calculus
• felicific calculus
• finite-difference calculus
• fractional calculus
• hedonic calculus
• hedonistic calculus
• implicational propositional calculus
• infinitesimal calculus
• integral calculus
• join calculus
• Kirby calculus
• lambda calculus
• logical calculus
• multivariable calculus
• noncalculus
• operational calculus
• pi-calculus
• precalculus
• predicate calculus
• propositional calculus
• tensor calculus
• tuple calculus
• utility calculus

 

Related terms

• calcify
• calcium
• calculate

Translations

formal mathematical system

• Afrikaans: analise, calculus
• Armenian: համարողություն (hy) (hamarołutʿyun)
• Catalan: càlcul (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 微積分學

  Mandarin: 微積分學 (zh), 微积分学 (zh) (wēijīfēnxué)

• Czech: počet (cs) m
• Finnish: laskenta (fi)
• French: calcul (fr) m
• Gallurese: calculu
• Georgian: კალკულუსი (ḳalḳulusi), აღრიცხვა (aɣricxva)
• German: Kalkül (de) m
• Greek: λογισμός (el) m (logismós)
• Hungarian: kalkulus
• Irish: calcalas m
• Italian: calcolo (it)
• Japanese: 計算 (ja) (keisan)
• Korean: 미적분 (ko) (mijeokbun), 미적분학 (mijeokbunhak)

• Maori: tuanaki
• Norwegian: beregning m or f
• Polish: rachunek (pl) m
• Portuguese: cálculo (pt)
• Romanian: calcul (ro) n
• Russian: исчисле́ние (ru) n (isčislénije)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: calculu, càrculu

  Logudorese: calculu, càrculu

• Sassarese: càlcuru
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ра̀чӯн m

  Roman: ràčūn (sh) m

• Slovak: počet
• Spanish: cálculo (es) m
• Swedish: kalkyl (sv) c
• Tagalog: tayahan
• Welsh: calcwlws m
• Yiddish: קאַלקולוס‎ m (kalkulus)

differential calculus and integral calculus considered as a single subject

• Afrikaans: analise, calculus
• Bengali: কলনবিদ্যা (bn) (kôlônbidja)
• Catalan: càlcul (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 微積分 (zh), 微积分 (zh) (wēijīfēn)

• Czech: počet (cs)
• Farefare: kɛkrɛ-biire
• Finnish: laskenta (fi)
• French: calcul (fr) m
• Gallurese: calculu
• Georgian: დიფერენციალური აღრიცხვა (diperencialuri aɣricxva)
• German: Kalkül (de) m
• Greek: λογισμός (el) m (logismós)
• Gujarati: કલન (kalan)
• Hebrew: חדו"א‎ (ẖédva)
• Hindi: कलन (hi) (kalan)
• Icelandic: deilda- og heildareikningur m, diffur- og tegurreikningur m, örsmæðareikningur m, reiknivísi f
• Ido: kalkulo (io)
• Italian: calcolo (it) m
• Japanese: 微積分 (ja) (bisekibun)

• Maori: tuanaki
• Marathi: कलन (kalan)
• Norwegian: matematikk (no) m
• Persian: حساب دیفرانسیل و انتگرال‎ (hesâbe diferânsyal o entegrâl)
• Polish: rachunek różniczkowy i całkowy m
• Portuguese: cálculo (pt) m
• Romanian: calcul diferențial (ro) n
• Russian: математический анализ (ru) (matematičeskij analiz)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: calculu, càrculu

  Logudorese: calculu, càrculu

• Sassarese: càlcuru
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: infinitezimalni račun m

• Slovak: matematická analýza
• Spanish: cálculo diferencial m
• Swedish: analys (sv) c
• Tagalog: tayahan
• Thai: แคลคูลัส (th)
• Telugu: కలన గణితం (kalana gaṇitaṃ)
• Turkish: kalkülüs
• Yiddish: קאַלקולוס‎ m (kalkulus)

stony concretion in an organ

• Bulgarian: камък (bg) m (kamǎk)
• Catalan: càlcul (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 結石 (zh), 结石 (zh) (jiéshí)

• Finnish: kivi (fi)
• French: calcul (fr) m, lithiase (fr) f
• German: Konkrement (de) n
• Greek: λιθίαση (el) f (lithíasi)
• Gujarati: અશ્મરી (aśmarī)
• Icelandic: steinn (is) m
• Japanese: 結石 (kesseki)

• Latin: lapillus m, calculus m
• Macedonian: ка́мен m (kámen)
• Portuguese: cálculo (pt) m
• Romanian: piatră (ro) f, calcul (ro) m
• Russian: ка́мень (ru) m (kámenʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: каме́нац m

  Roman: kaménac (sh) m

• Spanish: cálculo (es) m
• Thai: นิ่ว (th) (nîu)
• Turkish: taş (tr)

deposits on teeth — see dental calculus

See also

• algebra
• analysis
• concretion

References

• calculus in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

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Latin

Etymology

From calx, calcis (“limestone, game counter”) +‎ -ulus (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkal.ku.lus/, [ˈkälkʊɫ̪ʊs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkal.ku.lus/, [ˈkɑlkulus]

Noun

calculus m (genitive calculī); second declension

1. diminutive of calx
2. pebble, stone
3. reckoning, calculating, calculation
4. a piece in the latrunculi game

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	calculus	calculī
Genitive	calculī	calculōrum
Dative	calculō	calculīs
Accusative	calculum	calculōs
Ablative	calculō	calculīs
Vocative	calcule	calculī

Derived terms

• calculārius
• calculensis
• calculō
• calculōsus

Descendants

• → Catalan: càlcul
• → English: calculus
• → French: calcul
  • → German: Kalkül
    • → Czech: kalkul
  • → Romanian: calcul
  • → Swedish: kalkyl
• → Gallurese: calculu
• → Georgian: კალკულუსი (ḳalḳulusi)
• → Hungarian: kalkulus
• → Irish: calcalas
• → Italian: calcolo
• → Portuguese: cálculo
• → Sardinian: calculu, càrculu
• → Sassarese: càlcuru
• → Spanish: cálculo
• → Welsh: calcwlws
• → Yiddish: קאַלקולוס‎ (kalkulus)

References

• calculus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• calculus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• calculus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• calculus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to go through accounts, make a valuation of a thing: ad calculos vocare aliquid (Amic. 16. 58)