Etymology Map
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Calculate

2 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means to work out an amount mathematically

Where does the word "calculate" come from? It comes from Latin calculus, adopted directly into English (1560s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
calculus
Latin · classical
"pebble"
'a small stone', from calx 'limestone'; Romans reckoned with pebbles on a counting board, and a kidney stone is still a calculus in medicine
2
Stage 2 of 2
calculate
English · 1560s
"to compute"
via Late Latin calculare 'to reckon'; Newton and Leibniz later named their rival new mathematics 'calculus' in the late 1600s
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Calculate’s story begins in Latin: calculus meant “pebble.” 'a small stone', from calx 'limestone'; Romans reckoned with pebbles on a counting board, and a kidney stone is still a calculus in medicine. It reached English by 1560s as calculate. Via Late Latin calculare 'to reckon'; Newton and Leibniz later named their rival new mathematics 'calculus' in the late 1600s. Today, calculate means to work out an amount mathematically.