calculus

American  

[kal-kyuh-luhs] / ˈkæl kjə ləs /

noun

• calculi,
  plural
• calculuses
  plural

1. Mathematics. a method of calculation, especially one of several highly systematic methods of treating problems by a special system of algebraic notations, as differential or integral calculus.

2. Pathology. a stone, or concretion, formed in the gallbladder, kidneys, or other parts of the body.

3. Also called tartar. Dentistry. a hard, yellowish to brownish-black deposit on teeth formed largely through the mineralization of dead bacteria in dental plaques by the calcium salts in salivary secretions and subgingival transudates.

4. calculation; estimation or computation.

   the calculus of political appeal.

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calculus British  

/ ˈkælkjʊləs /

noun

1. a branch of mathematics, developed independently by Newton and Leibniz. Both differential calculus and integral calculus are concerned with the effect on a function of an infinitesimal change in the independent variable as it tends to zero

2. any mathematical system of calculation involving the use of symbols

3. logic an uninterpreted formal system Compare formal language

4. pathol a stonelike concretion of minerals and salts found in ducts or hollow organs of the body

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calculus Scientific  

/ kăl′kyə-ləs /

• calculi
  plural

1. The branch of mathematics that deals with limits and the differentiation and integration of functions of one or more variables.

2. See more at calculus of variations differential calculus integral calculus

3. A solid mass, usually composed of inorganic material, formed in a cavity or tissue of the body. Calculi are most commonly found in the gallbladder, kidney, or urinary bladder.

4. Also called stone

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calculus Cultural  

1. The branch of mathematics, usually studied after algebra, that provides a natural method for describing gradual change.

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Discover More

Most modern sciences use calculus.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• calculi
  plural
• calculuses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of calculus

1610–20; < Latin: pebble, small stone (used in reckoning), equivalent to calc- (stem of calx stone) + -ulus -ule

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Explanation

Calculus is a way of using math to study changes in a system. Moral calculus, on the other hand, is a way of measuring morals and ethics, like choosing the lesser of two evils. After an apple bonked him on the head, Newton used calculus to fine-tune his Law of Gravity. Don’t break that law, or you’ll fall right off the planet. Today, if you take a calculus class, you’ve probably already taken geometry and trigonometry. Well done. You’ll measure changes between infinitesimally small points or the area of a curve. In the medical world, a calculus is a hard, crusty mass like a kidney stone; or tartar on a tooth. In Latin, calculus means "small pebble used for counting."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

calculus calculi calculuses

While the prediction proved prescient, Musk’s investment has changed the calculus.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

They unpack David Ellison’s calculus, the potential ripple effects, and more.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026

The goal isn’t to freeze the status quo, but to change the adversary’s calculus on when and whether to move.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Average grades in preparatory math, precalculus and calculus across UC continue their five-year decline, while D and F grades, no-pass marks and withdrawals in those courses have gone up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

But between 1673 and 1676, when Leibniz next visited London, he, too, had developed calculus, although in a slightly different form.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz both “died in excruciating pain while suffering from calculi — a bladder stone for Newton, a kidney stone for Leibniz”.

From Nature ● Apr. 4, 2019

Midway through Infinite Powers, Steven Strogatz writes that Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz both “died in excruciating pain while suffering from calculi — a bladder stone for Newton, a kidney stone for Leibniz”.

From Nature ● Apr. 1, 2019

This is owing to gall-stones or calculi, which occasionally accumulate in large numbers, and is sometimes owing to increased or altered quality of the bile.

From Domestic Animals History and description of the horse, mule, cattle, sheep, swine, poultry and farm dogs; with directions for their management, breeding, crossing, rearing, feeding, and preparation for a profitable market; also their diseases and remedies. Together with full directions for the management of the dairy. by Richard L. Allen

Among these improvements may be mentioned new operations, for lithotomy, instruments for crushing calculi, for reducing dislocations, etc.

From History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2) Revised Edition by John William Draper

Cholesterine, ko-les′te-rin, n. a substance occurring abundantly in bile and biliary calculi, probably a monovalent alcohol.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

“Do I think I underestimated some factors and overestimated some others? Sure. Do I think that there were calculations and calculuses that I made? Yes,” Porter went on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2024

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Related Words

• algebra
• calculation
• geometry
• math

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