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

Etymology

Origin of calculus

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

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

"That has at least been a part of the calculus of why Mexican cartels have escalated their operations in Africa. That to say though, it is only part of the story," said Griego.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

It is a calculus playing out across the tech industry as a new generation of AI-powered coding assistants transforms how software gets built.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

All these decades later, I understand the calculus but remain baffled by that reasoning.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

You don’t need to know calculus to read a calendar and see that most major tech companies report quarterly numbers in the next 30 days, the period covered by volatility indexes like VolDex and VIX.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

This is the biggest failure in Greek mathematics, and it is the only thing that kept them from discovering calculus.

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

The discharge of calculi kept up for nearly a week, under the use of the Epigea, and then ceased, and with it all the symptoms of irritation of the bladder.

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Edward Pollock Anshutz

Professor Nasse, of Bonn, where my son studied medicine at the time, has analyzed the calculi, and has found them to be urate of lime.

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Edward Pollock Anshutz

Surely we should reap some flourishing revenue from fashion and credulity, when we find our government awarding £5000 to a certain Johanna Stephens for her discovery of certain medicines for the cure of calculi!

From Curiosities of Medical Experience by J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen

“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

Related Words

• algebra
• calculation
• geometry
• math