calculus
Definitions
The branch of mathematics dealing with rates of change (differentiation) and accumulation (integration).
微积分学。
A hard stone-like deposit that forms in the body, such as a kidney stone or dental tartar.
结石；牙石（体内形成的石状沉积物）。
A particular method or system of reasoning or calculation.
（某种）演算法，推理体系。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedLatin calculus literally means 'small pebble' (diminutive of calx, limestone). Because Romans counted with pebbles, the word came to mean 'reckoning,' then named the high-level mathematics of change. The medical sense (a calculus = a stone in the body) keeps the literal 'little stone.'
Root calc still carries 6 more wordsWhy It Means This
The leap from 'pebble' to 'hardest math' is the whole story of this root. A calculus was just a counting stone; over centuries 'doing calculus' meant 'doing reckoning,' and when Newton and Leibniz built a powerful new system for handling change, the old word for pebble-counting was reused for it. Meanwhile the literal sense survived in medicine — a kidney calculus really is a little stone — showing both ends of the word's life in one entry.
Common Collocations
- 1.differential calculus微分学
- 2.integral calculus积分学
- 3.calculus course微积分课程
- 4.renal calculus肾结石
Example Sentences
- 1.
She's taking calculus and physics this semester.
- 2.
Newton and Leibniz independently invented calculus.
- 3.
The dentist removed the calculus built up on his teeth.