Calca

Calca is a term defined in The Dictionary with multiple senses that have shifted over time within Orth usage.

Definitions and Usage

• In Proto- and Old Orth, calca refers to chalk or similar substances used to make marks on hard surfaces.
• In Middle and later Orth, it denotes a calculation, especially one so lengthy and detailed that it consumes much chalk.
• In Praxic and later Orth, a calca is an explanation, definition, or lesson that supports a larger theme but is moved aside from the main body of a dialogue—typically into a footnote or appendix—because of its technical, long‑winded, or recondite nature.

First Appearance and Context

The term appears as an entry in The Dictionary (noted in a later edition) and is used in conversation within the mathic world to describe giving a technical lesson—for example, a calca about Hemn (configuration) spaces as a clearer alternative to working solely in Saunt Lesper’s coordinates.

Current Usage

Within mathic discourse, calling something a “calca” signals a detailed aside or instructional segment meant to clarify theory without interrupting the main line of argument.