Word
calculate
Phoneticscal·cu·late
US/ˈkæɫkjəˌɫeɪt/
UK/kˈælkjʊlˌeɪt/
Definitions
01to do math
v. to find a number or an answer by using mathematics.
v. to determine a numerical value or solution through mathematical processes.
“You need to calculate the total cost of the trip before you book the hotel.”
“The software is designed to calculate complex interest rates across multiple currencies in real time.”
Usage
Often used with a direct object or a 'that' clause.
02to judge or predict
v. to think carefully about a situation to predict what will happen.
v. to assess or predict the consequences of an action through logical analysis or foresight.
“The company had to calculate the risks of opening a new store during the recession.”
“The general carefully calculated the potential for civilian casualties before ordering the strike.”
Usage
Commonly used in business and political contexts regarding risk.
03chess strategy
v. to imagine future moves in a game like chess without moving the pieces.
v. to mentally simulate sequences of potential moves and responses in a strategic game.
“The grandmaster sat in silence for ten minutes to calculate the endgame.”
“In high-level play, the ability to calculate deep variations is often what separates masters from amateurs.”
Technical
Synonyms
04to intend or plan
v. to intend, plan, or expect to do something.
v. to intend or suppose; used to express a plan or a personal opinion about a future event.
“I calculate we'll be arriving at the farm just before supper.”
“He calculated to leave by dawn, though the heavy rains made the mountain passes look treacherous.”
American English · Dialect
Teaching tip
This usage is largely restricted to specific regional dialects in the United States and may sound old-fashioned or rural to modern ears.
Real-World Examples
“The team modeled air quality without emissions from fires to calculate how much of that total pollution came from wildfires.” “This technique calculates how long deep ocean water has been isolated from the atmosphere, enabling researchers to measure the speed of the currents.” “The researchers calculated each hour of the day separately, comparing 8 am temperatures only to other 8 am temperatures.” “We then calculate an overall risk score by multiplying those scores together.” Etymology
Borrowed from Latin calculātus, perfect passive participle of calculō (“to reckon, compute, calculate”, originally by means of pebbles) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from calculus (“a pebble”), further from calx (“limestone”, calc- in compounds) + -ulus (forms diminutives).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/calculate