CALCULUS (calculi)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: calculi   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does calculus mean? 

• CALCULUS (noun)
  The noun CALCULUS has 3 senses:

1. a hard lump produced by the concretion of mineral salts; found in hollow organs or ducts of the body

2. an incrustation that forms on the teeth and gums

3. the branch of mathematics that is concerned with limits and with the differentiation and integration of functions

  Familiarity information: CALCULUS used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CALCULUS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A hard lump produced by the concretion of mineral salts; found in hollow organs or ducts of the body

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

calculus; concretion

Context example:

renal calculi can be very painful

Hypernyms ("calculus" is a kind of...):

rock; stone (a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "calculus"):

bladder stone; cystolith (a calculus formed in the bladder)

enterolith (a calculus occurring in the intestines)

bilestone; gallstone (a calculus formed in the gall bladder or its ducts)

kidney stone; nephrolith; renal calculus; urinary calculus (a calculus formed in the kidney)

ptyalith (calculus in a salivary gland)

salivary calculus; sialolith (a stone formed in the salivary gland)

urolith (a urinary stone)

Derivation:

calculous (relating to or caused by or having a calculus or calculi)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An incrustation that forms on the teeth and gums

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

calculus; tartar; tophus

Hypernyms ("calculus" is a kind of...):

crust; encrustation; incrustation (a hard outer layer that covers something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The branch of mathematics that is concerned with limits and with the differentiation and integration of functions

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

calculus; infinitesimal calculus

Hypernyms ("calculus" is a kind of...):

pure mathematics (the branches of mathematics that study and develop the principles of mathematics for their own sake rather than for their immediate usefulness)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "calculus"):

analysis (a branch of mathematics involving calculus and the theory of limits; sequences and series and integration and differentiation)

differential calculus; method of fluxions (the part of calculus that deals with the variation of a function with respect to changes in the independent variable (or variables) by means of the concepts of derivative and differential)

integral calculus (the part of calculus that deals with integration and its application in the solution of differential equations and in determining areas or volumes etc.)

calculus of variations (the calculus of maxima and minima of definite integrals)

Derivation:

calculate (make a mathematical calculation or computation)

 Context examples 

Cystic disease of the medullary portion of the renal pyramids; asymptomatic unless complicated by infection, calculi, or obstruction; should be distinguished from congenital polycystic disease of the kidneys.

(Medullary Sponge Kidney, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Instrumentation of the crown and root surfaces of a tooth to remove plaque and calculus from these surfaces.

(Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing, NCI Thesaurus)

The formation of stones (calculi) in the body.

(Lithiasis, NCI Thesaurus)

An operation used in calculus whereby the integral of a function is determined.

(Integration, NCI Thesaurus)

E. alactolyticum, also known as Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus, has been isolated from dental calculus and gingival crevices in individuals with periodontal disease.

(Eubacterium alactolyticum, NCI Thesaurus)

Hereditary metabolic disorder characterized by recurrent acute arthritis, hyperuricemia and deposition of sodium urate in and around the joints, sometimes with formation of uric acid calculi.

(Gout, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Calculi of the urinary bladder; also known as vesical calculi or bladder stones, and cystoliths.

(Bladder Stone, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Root planing is the definitive procedure designed for the removal of cementum and dentin that is rough, and/or permeated by calculus or contaminated with toxins or microorganisms.

(Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing, NCI Thesaurus)