Computus
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. countable, uncountable
"An elaborate bundle of techniques called computus therefore developed around Easter calculations. Computus formed the centerpiece of “scientific” education in the monasteries."
- 2 A book of tables for calculating dates of astronomical events and moveable feasts. countable, historical, uncountable
"1987, Bruce Eastwood, 5: Plinian astronomical diagrams in the early Middle Ages, Edward Grant, John Emery Murdoch, Mathematics and Its Applications to Science and Natural Philosophy in the Middle Ages, page 149, This computus also contains only one completed Plinian diagram, that for the planetary harmonic intervals."
Example
More examples"An elaborate bundle of techniques called computus therefore developed around Easter calculations. Computus formed the centerpiece of “scientific” education in the monasteries."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin computus. Doublet of conto.
Related phrases
More for "computus"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.