calculate

English

Papers and electronic calculators are common tools for calculation.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin calculātus, perfect passive participle of calculō (“I reckon, originally by means of pebbles”), from calculus (“a pebble”). Refer to calculus for origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkælkjʊleɪt/, /ˈkælkjəleɪt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cal‧cu‧late

Verb

1. (transitive, mathematics) To determine the value of something or the solution to something by a mathematical process.

   Calculate the square root of 3 to 10 decimal places.

2. (intransitive, mathematics) To determine values or solutions by a mathematical process; reckon.
3. (intransitive, US, dialect) To plan; to expect; to think.
   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.

4. To ascertain or predict by mathematical or astrological computations the time, circumstances, or other conditions of; to forecast or compute the character or consequences of.
   • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     A cunning man did calculate my birth.

   to calculate or cast one's nativity

5. To adjust for purpose; to adapt by forethought or calculation; to fit or prepare by the adaptation of means to an end.
   • (Can we date this quote by Archbishop Tillotson and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     [Religion] is […] calculated for our benefit.

   to calculate a system of laws for the government and protection of a free people

Synonyms

• (determine value of or solution to): compute, reckon (old), work out
• (determine values or solutions): compute, reckon (old)

Derived terms

• backcalculate
• calculating

Related terms

• calculation
• calculus
• calculator
• incalculable

Translations

(transitive) to determine the value or solution of sth.

• Albanian: llogarit (sq)
• Arabic: حَسَبَ (ḥasaba)
• Azerbaijani: hesablamaq (az)
• Belarusian: вылі́чваць impf (vylíčvacʹ), выліча́ць impf (vyličácʹ), вы́лічыць pf (výličycʹ), вырахо́ўваць impf (vyraxóŭvacʹ), вы́рахаваць pf (výraxavacʹ)
• Bulgarian: изчислявам (bg) (izčisljavam), пресмятам (bg) (presmjatam)
• Burmese: တွက် (my) (twak), ခန့်တွက် (my) (hkan.twak)
• Catalan: calcular (ca) (used in both standard Catalan and Algherese)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 計算／计算 (zh) (jìsuàn), 计算 (zh) (jìsuàn), 算 (zh) (suàn), 計／计 (zh) (jì), 计 (zh) (jì)

• Czech: počítat (cs) impf, spočítat pf, vypočítat pf
• Danish: beregne, kalkulere
• Dutch: berekenen (nl), uitwerken (nl), calculeren (nl)
• Esperanto: kalkuli
• Estonian: arvutama (et)
• Finnish: laskea (fi)
• French: calculer (fr)
• Georgian: გამოთვლა (gamotvla)
• German: kalkulieren (de), berechnen (de), ausrechnen (de)
• Greek: υπολογίζω (el) (ypologízo), λογαριάζω (el) (logariázo)

  Ancient: λογίζομαι (logízomai)

• Hebrew: חישב \ חִשֵּׁב (khishév)
• Hindi: गणना करना (gaṇnā karnā), हिसाब रखना (hisāb rakhnā), हिसाब करना (hisāb karnā), हिसाब लगाना (hisāb lagānā)
• Hungarian: kiszámít (hu)
• Icelandic: reikna (is)
• Ido: kalkular (io)
• Italian: calcolare (it)
• Japanese: 計算する (ja) (けいさんする, keisan suru)
• Kazakh: есептеу (kk) (esepteu)
• Khmer: គណនា (km) (kĕəʼnaʼniə), គន់ (km) (kŭən), កាញ់ (km) (kañ)
• Korean: 정산하다 (jeongsanhada), 계산하다 (ko) (gyesanhada)
• Kyrgyz: эсептөө (ky) (eseptöö)
• Lao: ຄຳນວນ (lo) (kham nūan)
• Latin: ratiocinor
• Latvian: aprēķināt (lv)
• Lithuanian: apskaičiuoti
• Macedonian: пресметува impf (presmetuva), пресмета pf (presmeta), калкулира impf or pf (kalkulira)
• Malay: mengira
• Maori: tatau, tātai
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Mongolian: бодох (mn) (bodox), тооцоолох (toocoolox), тооцох (mn) (toocox)
• Norman: caltchuler
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: beregne, kalkulere, regne ut

• Pashto: محاسبه کول (mahāsebakawᶕl)
• Persian: محاسبه کردن (fa) (mohâsebe kardan), حساب کردن (fa) (hesâb kardan)
• Polish: wyliczać impf, kalkulować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: calcular (pt)
• Romanian: calcula (ro), socoti (ro)
• Russian: вычисля́ть (ru) impf (vyčisljátʹ), вы́числить (ru) pf (výčislitʹ), подсчи́тывать (ru) impf (podsčítyvatʹ), подсчита́ть (ru) pf (podsčitátʹ), рассчи́тывать (ru) impf (rassčítyvatʹ), рассчита́ть (ru) pf (rassčitátʹ), счита́ть (ru) impf (sčitátʹ), посчита́ть (ru) pf (posčitátʹ)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: calculai, carculai, calcurà

  Logudorese: calculare, carculare

• Sassarese: calcurà
• Scottish Gaelic: tomhais
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: калкули́рати impf (Croatian), калкулисати impf (Bosnian, Serbian), израчуна́вати impf, израчу̀нати pf

  Roman: kalkulírati (sh) impf (Croatian), kalkulisati (sh) impf (Bosnian, Serbian), izračunávati (sh) impf, izračùnati (sh) pf

• Slovak: kalkulovať impf, počítať (sk) impf
• Slovene: ocenjevati impf, oceniti pf
• Spanish: calcular (es)
• Swedish: beräkna (sv), räkna ut (sv), kalkylera (sv)
• Tagalog: tayahin, magtaya
• Tajik: ҳисоб кардан (hisob kardan), муҳосиба кардан (muhosiba kardan)
• Tatar: хисапларга (xisaplarga)
• Thai: คำนวณ (th) (kam-nuuan)
• Turkish: hesaplamak (tr)
• Turkmen: hasaplamak
• Ukrainian: обчи́слювати impf (občýsljuvaty), обчисля́ти impf (občysljáty), обчи́слити pf (občýslyty), вирахо́вувати impf (vyraxóvuvaty), ви́рахувати pf (výraxuvaty), вичи́слювати impf (vyčýsljuvaty), ви́числити pf (výčyslyty), вилі́чувати (uk) impf (vylíčuvaty), ви́лічити pf (výličyty)
• Urdu: شمار کرنا (śumār karnā), حساب لگانا (hisāb lagānā)
• Uyghur: ھېساب ئالماق (hësab almaq)
• Uzbek: hisoblamoq (uz)
• Vietnamese: tính toán (vi), tính (vi)

(intransitive) to determine values or solutions

• Arabic: حَسَبَ (ḥasaba)
• Burmese: တွက် (my) (twak)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 計算／计算 (zh) (jìsuàn), 计算 (zh) (jìsuàn)

• Dutch: rekenen (nl), uitwerken (nl)
• Finnish: laskea (fi)
• French: calculer (fr)
• German: rechnen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: λογίζομαι (logízomai)

• Hungarian: számol (hu), számítást végez
• Italian: calcolare (it)
• Japanese: 計算する (ja) (けいさんする, keisan suru), 算定する (さんていする, santei suru), 算出する (さんしゅつする, sanshutsu suru), 見積もる (ja) (みつもる, mitsumoru)
• Korean: 계산하다 (ko) (gyesanhada)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: ratiocinor
• Malay: mengira
• Maori: tatau, tātai
• Norman: caltchuler
• Portuguese: calcular (pt)
• Romanian: calcula (ro)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: calculai, carculai

  Logudorese: calculare, carculare

• Sassarese: calcurà
• Sicilian: calcular
• Spanish: calcular (es)
• Swedish: räkna (sv) (count; do calculations in general), beräkna (sv), räkna ut (sv) (calculate a specific answer)

(intransitive) plan

• Czech: kalkulovat
• Dutch: plannen (nl), uitwerken (nl)
• Finnish: suunnitella (fi), laskelmoida
• German: kalkulieren (de), sich etwas ausrechnen
• Hungarian: kikalkulál, kitervel (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: たくらむ (ja) (takuramu)
• Korean: 꾀하다 (ko) (kkoehada)
• Spanish: (transitive) calcular (es)
• Swedish: beräkna (sv), räkna ut (sv)

Further reading

• “calculate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “calculate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “calculate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) calculāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of calculō
   1. "calculate ye, compute ye"
   2. (figuratively) "consider ye as, esteem ye"

Participle

(deprecated template usage) calculāte

1. vocative masculine singular of calculātus