calcŭlus

I. In gen., a small stone, a pebble: conjectis in os calculis, Cic. de Or. 1, 61, 261: Demosthenes calculos linguā volvens dicere domi solebat, Quint. 11, 3, 54; Vitr. 7, 2: argilla et dumosis calculus arvis, Serv. ad Verg. G. 2, 180; Plin. 4, 8, 15, § 37; 28, 9, 33, § 124.—

B. Trop., of discourse: qui tenui venulā per calculos fluunt, Quint. 12, 10, 25.—

II. Esp.

A. A stone in the bladder or kidneys, the gravel, stone, Cels. 7, 26: curare, Plin. 20, 21, 86, § 234: comminuere et eicere, id. 20, 4, 13, § 23; cf. eicere, Suet. Aug. 80: movere, Plin. 20, 22, 91, § 248: exturbare, id. 20, 10, 42, § 109: frangere, id. 22, 21, 29, § 59: rumpere, id. 23, 8, 80, § 153. —

B. A draughtsman, a stone or counter used in playing draughts. called duodecim scripta, in which, as in chess, by driving a piece from one square to another, the person beaten could not finally move at all (ad incitas redactus est): in lusu duodecim scriptorum cum prior calculum promovisset, etc., Quint. 11, 2, 38; cf. Ov. A. A. 2, 207; 3, 357; id. Tr. 2, 478; Plin. Ep. 7, 24, 5; Mart. 14, 20; Isid. Orig. 18, 67: calculorum ludus, Cael. Aur. Tard. 1, 5, 165.—

2. Trop.: calculum reducere, to take back a move: tibi concedo, quod in XII. scriptis solemus, ut calculum reducas, si te alicujus dati paenitet, Cic. ap. Non. p. 170, 28 (Hortens. Fragm. 51 B. and K.): quā re nunc saltem ad illos calculos revertamur, quos tum abjecimus, i. e. those principles of action, id. Att. 8, 12, 5.—

C. A stone used in reckoning on the counting-board; hence meton., a reckoning, computing, calculating: calculi et rationes, Quint. 11, 3, 59; 7, 4, 35; 8, 3, 14; 12, 11, 18 Spald.: calculos subducere, Cic. Fin. 2, 19, 60: ponere, Col. 3, 3, 7: ponere cum aliquo, Plin. Pan. 20, 5: de posteris cogitanti in condicionibus deligendus ponendus est calculus, id. ib. 1, 14, 9: amicitiam ad calculos vocare, Cic. Lael. 16, 58: si ad calculos eum respublica vocet, Liv. 5, 4, 7: revocare aliquid ad calculos, Val. Max. 4, 7, 1: ratio calculorum, Col. 1, 3, 8.—

2. Trop.: cum aliquā re parem calculum ponere, Plin. Ep. 5, 2, 1: quos ego movi calculos, id. ib. 2, 19, 9.—

D. In the most ancient per., a stone used in voting; a vote, sentence, decision, suffrage; a white one for assent or acquittal, a black for denial or condemnation; cf. Ov. M. 15, 41 sq.; App. M. 10, p. 242.— Hence judicialis, Imp. Just. Cod. 3, 1, 12: deteriorem reportare, i. e. an adverse decision, Impp. Diocl. et Max. Cod. 7, 62, 10: calculis omnibus, App. M. 7, p. 191, 21.—Trop.: si modo tu fortasse errori nostro album calculum adjeceris, Plin. Ep. 1, 2, 5.—

E. The Thracians were accustomed to preserve the recollection of fortunate occurrences by white stones, and of unfortunate by black, Plin. 7, 40, 41, § 131.—Hence,

2. Trop.: o diem laetum, notandumque mihi candidissimo calculo! Plin. Ep. 6, 11, 3; cf. Mart. 12, 34, 9, § 53; Pers. 2, 1 sq.—

F. In late Lat., a small weight: calculus constat ex granis ciceris duobus, Auct. Ponder ap. Goes. Agr. p. 322 (in Isid. Orig. 16, 25, 8, called calcus).