In Medieval Latin, the phrase qua libra means "of what weight." It may have given us our word "caliber," which means "the particular diameter of a bullet, a cannonball, a gun, or the inside of a tube; or more figuratively, some item or person's particular level of skill or quality."

We took that noun, "caliber," and turned it into a verb: "calibrate." It's a pretty new verb, dating back only to about the mid-1800s.

In the most concrete sense, when you calibrate something, like a tube, or a gauge, you measure or determine its caliber: its length or diameter across. You'd do this to check it for any irregularities that you need adjust for.

But most of the time, the meaning of "calibrate" is more general. To calibrate something, like a tool, a machine, a response, or a strategy, is to set it or adjust it in a precise, accurate way.

Part of speech:

Verb, the transitive kind: "They calibrated the instrument;" "They're calibrating every word they say."

Other forms: 

Calibrated, calibrating; calibration(s); calibrator(s).

how to use it:

If you say you're "tweaking" or "fiddling with" something, you don't sound dignified. But if you're "calibrating," you do sound dignified! And you sound like you're in charge, and perfectly capable.

So, pick the common, scientific-sounding word "calibrate" when you want to emphasize how someone is exerting a careful, meticulous, almost mathematical control over their own words, behavior, interactions, performances, and so on.

Say that someone is calibrating something, possibly to or for a specific audience. You could say they're calibrating their responses, their word choice, or their tone of voice during an important conversation. Or say they're calibrating their comedic timing, their social media posts, or the volume and tempo of their orchestral conducting to their exact audience.

examples:

"It is instructive to examine one or two cases from our past, if only to calibrate our expectations."
   — Carl Sagan, Cosmos, 1980

"Everything about Bond movies – from Barbara Bach's cheekbones to the underwater harpoon battles – seems calibrated to appeal to the adolescent."
   — Andrew Pulver, The Guardian, 28 September 2012

has this page helped you understand "calibrate"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "calibrate" without saying "adjust" or "fine-tune."

try it out:

In John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, the teenage narrator Hazel feels awkward as she meets the parents of her new boyfriend, Augustus:

"You're such a Debbie Downer," his mom said. "Hazel, do you enjoy [the support group]?"

I paused a second, trying to figure out if my response should be calibrated to please Augustus or his parents. "Most of the people are really nice," I finally said.

Can you explain what's happening here? Why is Hazel calibrating her response at all, rather than just sharing her true thoughts? If Hazel were your friend, or your daughter or granddaughter, what advice would you give her about calibrating her responses in social situations like these?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for June is "Happy Stories in Hidden Cities."

I'll give you a sentence from a happy news story, along with a long word that contains all the letters, in order, of the name of the city in which the story takes place. And you give me the city.

Here's an example:

"A puppy was excited to experience his first-ever snowfall on Friday, November 11, after a winter storm swept through the area." FARRAGO.

The answer here is "Fargo," the city where this story takes place. You can spot the name FARGO inside FARRAGO.

Try this one today:

"Every year, the more than €1 million in coins thrown into the Trevi Fountain are hoovered up to feed, clothe, and house the city's poor." ADVENTURESOME.  

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. In its general, figurative sense, CALIBRATED is the opposite of

A. FREE-HEARTED (open, generous, or free from stress).
B. CHOREOGRAPHED (planned out in advance, step by step).
C. BROAD-BRUSHED (presented in a big, sweeping, general way).

2. In the field of educational psychology, there's a lot of talk about calibration: how students _____.

A. explain their successes and failures
B. adjust their assessment of their own skills and knowledge
C. find joy in the act of learning itself rather than in receiving praise or grades

Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. B Answer to the game question: This story takes place in Rome, whose name you can spot inside ADVENTURESOME.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.