calculus
noun
cal·cu·lus
ˈkal-kyə-ləs 
plural calculi
ˈkal-kyə-ˌlī
-ˌlē
also calculuses
1
a
: a method of computation or calculation in a special notation (as of logic or symbolic logic)
b
: the mathematical methods comprising differential and integral calculus
—often used with the
2
: calculation
… even political conservatives agree that an economic calculus must give way to a strategic consciousness when national or global security is at stake.—
Stephen H. Schneider
Stephen H. Schneider3
a
: a concretion usually of mineral salts around organic material found especially in hollow organs or ducts
4
: a system or arrangement of intricate or interrelated parts
Did you know?
In Latin calculus meant “pebble.” Because the Romans used pebbles to do addition and subtraction on a counting board, the word became associated with computation. Other English derivatives include calculator and calculation. Calculus itself has been borrowed into English as a medical term that refers to masses of matter in the body such as kidney stones (a straightforward extension of the meaning “pebble”) and to refer to a system of mathematical computation.
Synonyms
Examples of calculus in a Sentence
by my calculus the more efficient air conditioner will have paid for itself within a span of five years
Recent Examples on the Web
Using a different affordability formula with a higher-income bracket, however, apparently changed the calculus, allowing the project to move forward.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 12 Nov. 2024
But the North Korean deployments are of an altogether different magnitude, and the West has few tools to change North Korea’s calculus, as the country is already isolated and heavily sanctioned.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2024
But there’s little reputational risk for judges — and adding a risk score doesn’t change that calculus.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 30 Oct. 2024
Deese told me that more than five per cent of all new investments in the United States are now being made in clean energy, up from about one per cent in 2018, because of how powerfully the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax incentives change the economic calculus for private companies.
—Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
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Kim Velsey, Curbed, 12 Nov. 2024
But the North Korean deployments are of an altogether different magnitude, and the West has few tools to change North Korea’s calculus, as the country is already isolated and heavily sanctioned.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2024
But there’s little reputational risk for judges — and adding a risk score doesn’t change that calculus.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 30 Oct. 2024
Deese told me that more than five per cent of all new investments in the United States are now being made in clean energy, up from about one per cent in 2018, because of how powerfully the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax incentives change the economic calculus for private companies.
—Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for calculus
Dictionary Entries Near calculus
Cite this Entry
“Calculus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calculus. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
calculus
noun
cal·cu·lus
ˈkal-kyə-ləs
plural calculi
-ˌlī
-ˌlē
also calculuses
1
: a branch of higher mathematics concerned especially with rates of change and the finding of lengths, areas, and volumes
2
a
: a mass that consists mostly of mineral salts and is formed in a hollow organ or bodily duct
Medical Definition
calculus
noun
cal·cu·lus
-ləs
plural calculi
-ˌlī, -ˌlē
also calculuses
also calculuses
1
: a concretion usually of mineral salts around organic material found especially in hollow organs or ducts
2
: a concretion on teeth : tartar
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