calculus
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.
Pathology. a stone, or concretion, formed in the gallbladder, kidneys, or other parts of the body.
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.
calculation; estimation or computation: the calculus of political appeal.
Origin of calculus
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use calculus in a sentence
This board could only have been used with counters (calculi), preferably unmarked, as in our treatise of Accomptynge by Counters.
The Earliest Arithmetics in English | AnonymousIt has been employed in cases of renal calculi with decidedly beneficial results.
Saratoga and How to See It | R. F. DearbornIn rare instances they may undergo calcareous metamorphosis, constituting the so-called cutaneous calculi.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin | Henry Weightman StelwagonSometimes calculi occur in the bladder, sometimes in one kidney and occasionally in both kidneys.
Gilbertus Anglicus | Henry Ebenezer HandersonThe only case in which splitting of calculi is referred to is in Celsus, and then a chisel is used.
Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times | John Stewart Milne
British Dictionary definitions for calculus
/ (ˈkælkjʊləs) /
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
any mathematical system of calculation involving the use of symbols
logic an uninterpreted formal system: Compare formal language (def. 2)
plural -li (-ˌlaɪ) pathol a stonelike concretion of minerals and salts found in ducts or hollow organs of the body
Origin of calculus
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for calculus
[ kăl′kyə-ləs ]
The branch of mathematics that deals with limits and the differentiation and integration of functions of one or more variables. See more at calculus of variations differential calculus integral calculus.
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. Also called stone
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for calculus
The branch of mathematics, usually studied after algebra, that provides a natural method for describing gradual change.
Notes for calculus
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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