calque
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calque
- /kælk/
Sounds like calc, calk · Rhymes with -ælk
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from French calque (“calque”, literally “copy, tracing”), from calquer (“to copy, trace”) (whence also calk), itself borrowed from Italian calcare, from Latin calcāre (“to tread”). Doublet of calcate and calcation.
noun calques
-
A word or phrase in a language formed by word-for-word or morpheme-by-morpheme translation of a word in another language.
David S. Powers, professor of Islamic history and law at Cornell, says he thinks that the word as used today is in the nature of what linguists call a calque, a borrowing from another language in literal translation […]
Similar: loan translation, calquing
verb calques · calquing · calqued
- To adopt (a word or phrase) from one language to another by semantic translation of its parts. Terms like "cloud computing" have been calqued into multiple languages, making it easier for global audiences to grasp complex technological concepts. […] For example, translating Shakespeare's works into other languages often involves calquing phrases to maintain the rhythm and metaphorical richnes
Translations
Every language
noun word formed by word-for-word translation of a word in another language
| Español | calco |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 번역차용 beonyeokchayong |
| 日本語 | 翻訳借用 hon'yaku shakuyō |
| 中文 | 借譯 /借译 jièyì, 仿造詞 /仿造词 fǎngzàocí, 仿譯 /仿译 fǎngyì |
| Português | decalque, decalque linguístico |
| Français | calque |
| Deutsch | Lehnübersetzung |
| Italiano | calco |
| Ελληνικά | μεταφραστικό δάνειο metafrastikó dáneio, εκτύπωμα ektýpoma |
| Română | calc |
| Русский | ка́лька kálʹka |
| العربية | تَرْجَمَة اِقْتِرَاضِيَّة tarjama iqtirāḍiyya |
verb adopt a word by translation of its parts
| Español | calcar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 借譯 /借译 jièyì |
| Português | decalcar |
| Français | calquer |
| Deutsch | lehnübersetzen |
| Русский | калькировать kalʹkirovatʹ |
Talk about this word "calque." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/calque. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. calque. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/calque "calque." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/calque.Cite this
@misc{calque_2026,
title = {calque},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/calque},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
