It's a calque.
Source: tatoeba (9010306)
Calque
/kælk/
Synonyms for "calque" (22 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (5)
Noun(4 words)
loan translationcalque formationcalque phenomenoncomponent calque
Strong matches (6)
Noun(5 words)
Adjective(1 words)
french tourneur
Related words (11)
Noun(10 words)
loan translateloan translation conceptloanwordsrender literallystructural calquetranslate by loantranslate literallytranslated loantranslation loanword for word translate
Adjective(1 words)
romanian continent
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: loan translation, borrowing, calque formation, calque phenomenon, component calque.
- Sentence evidence is available for calque, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "calque".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "calque"
Keep "calque" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "calque" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "calque", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "calque" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesexpressionlexical itemlinguistic conceptlinguistic termlocutionsayingtranslatetranslation studies term
More specific
7 entriescompound calquedirect translationlexical calquemorphological calquephonological calquephrasal calquesemantic calque
Collocations
10 entriescalque strategycalque termcalque translationdirect translationlexical calquelinguistic calqueliteral translationloan translationsemantic calqueword for word translation
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesSample sentences
6 total sentences available.
"Calque" is a loanword and "loanword" is a calque.
Source: tatoeba (13692864)
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 […]
Source: wiktionary
Those phrases, translated from Spanish, are known as calques. […] The three young Miamians in the video also use “super” as an adverb, one of the calques from Spanish mentioned in Dr. Carter’s research. (“Ay, I’m super bloated.”)
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 6 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "calque"?
Closest matches include loan translation, borrowing, calque formation, calque phenomenon, component calque.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "calque"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.