calculus
Americannoun
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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.
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Pathology. a stone, or concretion, formed in the gallbladder, kidneys, or other parts of the body.
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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.
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calculation; estimation or computation.
the calculus of political appeal.
noun
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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
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any mathematical system of calculation involving the use of symbols
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logic an uninterpreted formal system Compare formal language
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pathol a stonelike concretion of minerals and salts found in ducts or hollow organs of the body
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The branch of mathematics that deals with limits and the differentiation and integration of functions of one or more variables.
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See more at calculus of variations differential calculus integral calculus
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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.
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Also called stone
Discover More
Most modern sciences use calculus.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing calculus
myPerspectives 7.2
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AB Calculus
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Calculus, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
Bringing home a date also requires a bit of mental calculus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Since you have all of that information, you can proceed to the basic “time value of money” calculus that drives retirement planning.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Until recently, Maher said his calculus pushed him toward Democrats.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Not only did l’Hôpital explain the fundaments of calculus in his textbook, he also included some exciting new results.
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
How much the mechanical element may mean in kidney and biliary conditions is well illustrated by the relief often afforded by changes of position when calculi in these organs are giving trouble.
From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)
Concreta, coagulated from particles agglutinated at random; as urinary and salivary calculi; tartar of wine; pumice, formed by fire; stalactite, formed by air; tophus, produced under water, as oolite.
From Lives of Eminent Zoologists, from Aristotle to Linnæus with Introductory remarks on the Study of Natural History by MacGillivray, William
The treatment of vesical calculi by other means than operative surgery is of little value.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1 "Bisharin" to "Bohea" 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
