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(linguistics) a loan word or expression that is a word-by-word translation of a word or expression in another language
What is a "calque"?
A calque is a linguistic term for a word or phrase that is translated directly from one language into another, maintaining the original structure and meaning. This process involves translating the individual components of a term rather than borrowing the term itself. For example, the English phrase "skyscraper" is a calque of the French "gratte-ciel," where "gratte" means "to scrape" and "ciel" means "sky." Calques are used to create new expressions in a language while preserving the meaning of the original term, demonstrating how languages can influence each other and adapt foreign concepts into their own vocabulary.
