The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is…

calculus (noun):

1a : a method of computation or calculation in a special notation (as of logic or symbolic logic)
b : the mathematical methods comprising differential and integral calculus
2 : calculation
3a : a concretion usually of mineral salts around organic material found especially in hollow organs or ducts
b : tartar on teeth

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : In Latin calculus meant “pebble.” Because the Romans used pebbles to do addition and subtraction on a counting board, the word became associated with computation. Other English derivatives include calculator and calculation. Calculus itself has been borrowed into English as a medical term that refers to masses of matter in the body such as kidney stones (a straightforward extension of the meaning “pebble”) and to refer to a system of mathematical computation.

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