Etymology Map
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Calculus

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a branch of mathematics dealing with rates of change; a hard stone in the body

Where does the word "calculus" come from? It comes from Latin calculus, passing through Modern Latin before entering English (1660s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
calculus
Latin · ancient
"pebble"
a small pebble, from 'calx', limestone; Romans counted with pebbles on a board
2
Stage 2 of 3
calculus
Modern Latin · 1680s
"method of calculation"
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz published his 'calculus differentialis', a method of calculation, in 1684
3
Stage 3 of 3
calculus
English · 1660s
"calculus; body stone"
doctors kept the old sense for kidney and bladder stones
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Read the full story

Calculus’s story begins in Latin: calculus meant “pebble.” A small pebble, from 'calx', limestone; Romans counted with pebbles on a board. By 1680s, the word had taken hold in Modern Latin as calculus. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz published his 'calculus differentialis', a method of calculation, in 1684. It reached English by 1660s as calculus. Doctors kept the old sense for kidney and bladder stones. Today, calculus means a branch of mathematics dealing with rates of change; a hard stone in the body.