computo

Computo is a Latin verb meaning I calculate, I reckon, or I count. It belongs to the first conjugation, and its principal parts are computo, computare, computavi, computatum. The present active indicative first-person form is computo, and the infinitive is computare. In Latin literature, computo appears in mathematical, legal, and astronomical contexts to signify calculation or reckoning.

From computo derive the nouns computus (the calculation, notably the computation of the date of Easter) and computatio (the act of computing). These formations illustrate how a dynamic verb can yield nominal terms used in scholarly and ecclesiastical discourse. The root forms also underpin related terms in later languages.

Cognates in English include compute, computation, and computer, all ultimately drawn from Latin computare and its nominal variants, typically via Old French or other intermediaries. The medieval term computus is particularly associated with calendar-related computations used to determine Easter.

In modern philology, computo is studied as part of Latin verb conjugation and as an ancestor of common words related to calculation across many languages. The word provides insight into how Latin verbs of counting and calculation influenced the development of mathematical and computational vocabulary in Western languages.