computus
1
9.9
- noun
- /kəmˈpjuːtəs/
- Archaic
- He studied the computus to understand how ancient mathematicians calculated the timing of movable feasts.
Examples
-
Medieval scholars relied on the computus to calculate the dates of important liturgical events.
-
In the thirteenth century, it was often used as a tool, in the manner of a computus, to help determine the date of Easter, other movable feasts, Sunday letters, and so on.
Academic text (1999) -
The computus was a table of dates that allowed the monk, through intercolumnation, to coordinate the lunar year with the solar year and determine the proper dates for liturgical celebrations.
Academic text (1999) -
The computus was essential for determining the date of Easter in the Christian calendar.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Computus comes from the Latin computare, which means 'to calculate' or 'to count', and is the same root as the English words compute and computer. In the Middle Ages, a computus was the special calculation monks used to find the date of Easter, so the word now means a calculation for Easter and other church holidays.