calcaneus Look up calcaneus	 at Dictionary.com
from L. (os) calcaneum "bone of the heel," from calcem (nom. calx (1)) "heel."
calcareous Look up calcareous at Dictionary.com
1670s, from L. calcarius "of lime," from calx (gen. calcis) "lime, limestone" (see chalk).
calcify Look up calcify at Dictionary.com
1785 (implied in calcified), from Fr. calcifier, from stem of L. calcem "lime" + -fy. Related: Calcification.
calcite Look up calcite at Dictionary.com
1849, from Ger. Calcit, coined by Austrian mineralogist Wilhelm Karl von Hardinger (1795-1871), from L. calx (gen. calcis) "lime" + mineral suffix -ite (Ger. -it).
calcitrant Look up calcitrant at Dictionary.com
1866, from L. calcitrantem "kicking" (see recalcitrant). Pedantic humor.
calcium Look up calcium at Dictionary.com
coined 1808 by Sir Humphry Davy from L. calx (gen. calcis) "limestone" (see chalk).
calculate Look up calculate at Dictionary.com
1560s, "to compute, to estimate by mathematical means," from L. calculatus, pp. of calculare "to reckon, compute," from calculus (see calculus). Meaning "to plan, devise" is from 1650s. Replaced earlier calculen (mid-14c.), from O.Fr. calculer. Related: Calculable.
calculated Look up calculated at Dictionary.com
1863, "devised beforehand," pp. adj. from calculate. Earlier, "suited, apt" (1722).
calculating Look up calculating at Dictionary.com
1710, "carrying out calculations," prp. adj. from calculate. Meaning "shrewdly or selfishly seeking advantage" is attested from c.1810.
calculation Look up calculation at Dictionary.com
late 14c., from L.L. calculationem (nom. calculatio), from calculare "to reckon, compute," from L. calculus "reckoning, account," originally "pebble used in counting," dim. of calx (gen. calcis) "limestone" (see chalk).
calculator Look up calculator at Dictionary.com
late 14c., "mathematician, one who calculates," from L. calculator, from calculatus, pp. of calculare "to reckon, compute," from calculus (see calculus). Of mechanical adding machine contraptions, from 1784. Of electronic ones, from 1946.
"Electronic calculator uses 18,000 tubes to solve complex problems" ["Scientific American" headline, June 1946]
calculus Look up calculus at Dictionary.com
1660s, from L. calculus "reckoning, account," originally "pebble used as a reckoning counter," dim. of calx (gen. calcis) "limestone" (see chalk). Modern mathematical sense is a shortening of differential calculus. Also used from 1732 to mean "concretion occurring accidentally in the animal body," such as dental plaque, kidney stones, etc.
Calcutta Look up Calcutta at Dictionary.com
city in eastern India, named for Hindu goddess Kali.
caldera Look up caldera at Dictionary.com
1865, "cavity on the summit of a volcano," from Sp. caldera "cauldron, kettle," from L. caldarium, caldarius "pertaining to warming," from calidus "warm, hot" (see calorie).
caldron Look up caldron at Dictionary.com
spelling of cauldron prefered by other dictionary editors.
Caleb Look up Caleb at Dictionary.com
masc. proper name, in the Bible, one of the 12 men sent by Moses to reconnoiter Canaan, from Heb. Kalebh, lit. "dog-like," from kelebh "dog."
Caledonia Look up Caledonia at Dictionary.com
Roman name of part of northern Britain, taken from the name of former inhabitants, of unknown origin, perhaps Celtic; since 18c, applied poetically to Scotland or the Scottish Highlands.
calendar Look up calendar at Dictionary.com
c.1200, "system of division of the year;" mid-14c. as "table showing divisions of the year;" from O.Fr. calendier "list, register," from L. calendarium "account book," from calendae/kalendae "calends" the first day of the Roman month -- when debts fell due and accounts were reckoned -- from calare "to announce solemnly, call out," as the priests did in proclaiming the new moon that marked the calends, from PIE base kele- "to call, shout" (see claim). Taken by the early Church for its register list of saints and their feast days. The -ar spelling in English is 17c. to differentiate it from the now obscure calender "cloth-presser" (see calender).
calender (v.) Look up calender at Dictionary.com
"to pass through a calender," a machine which smooths and presses paper, cloth, etc., 1510s, from Fr. calandre, the machine name, from M.L. calendra, so called from the shape of the machine used, from L. cylindrus, from Gk. kylindros "roll, cylinder" (see cylinder). The noun meaning "cloth-presser" is recorded from 1510s.
calf Look up calf at Dictionary.com
O.E. cealf (Anglian cælf) "young cow," from W.Gmc. *kalbam (cf. M.Du. calf, O.N. kalfr, Ger. Kalb, Goth. kalbo), perhaps from PIE *gelb(h)-, from base *gel- "to swell," hence, "womb, fetus, young of an animal." Elliptical sense of "leather made from the skin of a calf" is from 1727. Used of icebergs that break off from glaciers from 1818. Calf of the leg (early 14c.) is from O.N. kalfi, source unknown; possibly from the same Germanic root.
caliber Look up caliber at Dictionary.com
1560s, "degree of merit or importance," from M.Fr. calibre (14c.), perhaps ultimately from Arabic qalib "a mold, last," perhaps from Gk. kalopodion "a shoemaker's last," lit. "little wooden foot," from kalon "wood" + podos gen. of pous "foot" (see foot). Arabic also used the word in the sense "mold for casting bullets," which is the original literal meaning in English, though the earliest cited sense is a figurative one. Meaning "inside diameter of a gun barrel" is attested from 1580s.
calibrate Look up calibrate at Dictionary.com
1864, verb formed from caliber + -ate (2). Related: calibrated; calibrating; calibration.
calibre Look up calibre at Dictionary.com
British spelling of caliber (q.v.); for suffix, see -re.
calice Look up calice at Dictionary.com
early form of chalice (q.v.).
caliche Look up caliche at Dictionary.com
sodium nitrate deposits in Chile and Peru, 1858, from Amer.Sp., from Sp. caliche "pebble in a brick," from L. calx "pebble."
calico Look up calico at Dictionary.com
1530s, kalyko, corruption of Calicut (modern Kozhikode), seaport on Malabar coast of India, where Europeans first obtained it. In 16c. it was second only to Goa among Indian commercial ports for European trade. Extended to animal colorings suggestive of printed calicos in 1807, originally of horses.
calid Look up calid at Dictionary.com
1590s, from L. calidus "warm," from PIE base *kele- "warm" (see calorie).
California Look up California at Dictionary.com
name of an imaginary realm in "Las sergas de Esplandián" ("Exploits of Espladán"), a romance by Sp. writer Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo, published in 1510, which was said to have been influential among Sp. explorers of the New World and may have led them to misidentify Baja California as this land and mistake it for an island. Where Montalvo got the name and what it means, if anything, is a mystery. Californian is attested from 1785. The element Californium (1950) was named in reference to University of California, where it was discovered.
caliginous Look up caliginous at Dictionary.com
1540s, from L. caliginosus "misty," from caliginem (nom. caligo) "mistiness, darkness, fog, gloom." Related: Caliginosity.
caligraphy Look up caligraphy at Dictionary.com
alt. spelling of calligraphy.
Caligula Look up Caligula at Dictionary.com
cognomen of the third Roman emperor (12 C.E.-41 C.E.), born Gaius Caesar. The nickname is lit. "little boot," given when he joined his father on military campaigns when still a toddler, in full, child-sized military gear; dim. of caliga "heavy military shoe," which some related to calx "heel, tread," and others to a root meaning "to wrap, bind."
caliper Look up caliper at Dictionary.com
1620s, short for calliper compass (1580s), a device used to measure caliber (q.v.). Related: Calipers.
caliph Look up caliph at Dictionary.com
late 14c., from O.Fr. caliphe (12c., also algalife), from M.L. califa, from Arabic khalifa "successor," originally Abu-Bakr, who succeeded Muhammad in the role of leader of the faithful after the prophet's death.
caliphate Look up caliphate at Dictionary.com
"dominion of a caliph," 1610s, from caliph + -ate. Meaning "rank of a caliph" is recorded from 1753.
calisthenics Look up calisthenics at Dictionary.com
1847 (calisthenic is from 1839), formed on model of Fr. callisthenie, from Gk. kallos "beauty" + sthenos "strength" + -ics. Originally, gymnastic exercises suitable for girls and meant to develop the figure and promote graceful movement. The proper Gk., if there was such a word in Gk., would have been *kallistheneia.
call (v.) Look up call at Dictionary.com
O.E. ceallian "to call, shout," less common than clipian; replaced by related O.N. kalla "to cry loudly," from P.Gmc. *kallojanan (cf. Du. kallen "to talk," O.H.G. kallon "to call"), from PIE base *gal- "to call, scream, shriek, shout" (cf. Skt. garhati "bewail, criticize;" L. gallus "cock;" O.H.G. klaga, Ger. Klage "complaint, grievance, lament, accusation;" O.E. clacu "affront;" O.C.S. glasu "voice," glagolu "word;" Welsh galw "call"). As a noun, from early 14c. Meaning "to give a name to" is mid-13c. Coin-toss sense is from 1801. Meaning "to visit" (M.E.) was literally "to stand at the door and call;" noun sense of "a short formal visit" is from 1862. Telephone/telegraph sense is from 1889. To call out someone to fight (1823) corresponds to Fr. provoqueur. To call it a day is from 1834.
call girl Look up call girl at Dictionary.com
"prostitute who makes appointments by phone," c.1900, from call + girl.
caller Look up caller at Dictionary.com
c.1500, "one who proclaims," from call. Meaning "one who announces step changes at a dance" is recorded from 1882; "one who places a telephone call," 1898. Meaning "a social visitor" is attested from 1786.
calligraphy Look up calligraphy at Dictionary.com
1610s, from Gk. kaligraphia, from kallos "beauty" + graphein "to write" (see graph). Related: Calligraphic. The usual comb. form in Gk. was kalli- "beautiful, fine, happy, favorable;" kalo- was a later, rarer alternative form.
calling Look up calling at Dictionary.com
"vocation," mid-13c., from prp. of call (v.). The sense traces to I Cor. vii:20.
calliope Look up calliope at Dictionary.com
1858, "steam-whistle keyboard organ," in allusion to Calliope, ninth and chief muse, presiding over eloquence and epic poetry, from Gk. Kalliope, "lit. "beautiful-voiced," from kalli-, combining form of kallos "beauty" + opos (gen. of *ops) "voice," related to L. vox (see voice).
calliper Look up calliper at Dictionary.com
variant of caliper. Related: Callipers.
callipygian Look up callipygian at Dictionary.com
"of, pertaining to, or having beautiful buttocks," 1800, from Gk. kallipygos, name of a statue of Aphrodite at Syracuse, from kalli-, combining form of kallos "beauty" + pyge "rump, buttocks." Sir Thomas Browne (1646) refers to "Callipygæ and women largely composed behinde."
Callisto Look up Callisto at Dictionary.com
2nd moon of Jupiter, in classical mythology a nymph, mother of Arcas by Zeus, turned to a bear by Hera, from Gk. kallistos, superl. of kalos "beautiful." Feminized as proper name Callista.
callithumpian Look up callithumpian at Dictionary.com
1836, U.S. colloquial, probably a fanciful construction at one time designating a society of social reformers, then in reference to "noisy disturbers of elections and meetings," and most commonly "a band of discordant instruments."
callosal Look up callosal at Dictionary.com
"pertaining to the corpus callosum," from L. callosus + -al (1).
callous (adj.) Look up callous at Dictionary.com
c.1400, "hardened," in the physical sense, from L. callosus "thick-skinned," from callus, callum "hard skin" (see callus). The figurative sense of "unfeeling" appeared in English by 1670s.
callow Look up callow at Dictionary.com
O.E. calu "bare, bald," prob. from W.Gmc. *kalwaz (cf. M.Du. calu, Du. kaal, O.H.G. kalo, Ger. Kahl), perhaps from L. or Celt. From young birds with no feathers, meaning extended to any young inexperienced thing or creature (1570s). Apparently not from L. calvus "bald."
callus (n.) Look up callus at Dictionary.com
"hardened skin," 1560s, from L. callus, variant of callum "hard skin," related to callere "be hard," and cognate with Skt. kalika "bud," O.Ir. calath "hard," O.C.S. kaliti "to cool, harden."
calm Look up calm at Dictionary.com
late 14c., from O.Fr. calme, traditionally from O.It. calma, from L.L. cauma "heat of the mid-day sun" (in Italy, a time when everything rests and is still), from Gk. kauma "heat" (especially of the sun), from kaiein "to burn." Spelling influenced by L. calere "to be hot." Figurative application to social or mental conditions is 16c.