Calculate: The word 'calculus' — the… | etymologist.ai
calculate
/ˈkælkjʊleɪt/·verb·1563·Established
Origin
From Latin 'calculus' (a small counting stone), from 'calx' (limestone) — Romans literally computed by pushing pebbles.
Definition
To determine the amount or number of something mathematically; to intend or plan something deliberately.
The Full Story
Latin1560swell-attested
From Latin calculāre (to reckon, to compute), from calculus (a small stone, a pebble used for counting), diminutive of calx (limestone, chalk), from PIE *kalk- (stone, pebble), probably borrowed from a pre-Indo-European Mediterranean substrate language. The connection between stones and counting is ancient and direct: Roman merchants and accountants performedarithmetic by moving small pebbles (calculi) on counting boards — the abacus. A calculuswas literally a little stone, and
Did you know?
Theword 'calculus' — the branch of mathematics developed by Newton and Leibniz — literally means 'small stone.' When Leibniz named his new mathematical method, he wasreachingback to the Roman practice of reckoning with pebbles. In medicine, 'calculus' retains its original meaning: a kidney calculus or gallbladder calculus is literally a small stone
chalk, calcium, and calcify. The metaphorical leap from pebble-counting to abstract computation happened gradually through the Middle Ages: Old French calculer passed into English calculate in the 16th century, by which time the pebbles were long forgotten and the word meant simply to reckon or compute. The English slang use of calculating to mean scheming or coldly deliberate dates from the early 19th century, extending mathematical precision into a character judgement. Key roots: calculāre (Latin: "to reckon, to count with stones"), calculus (Latin: "small stone, pebble (used for counting)"), calx (Latin: "limestone, pebble").