C20: from French: a tracing, from calquer, from Latin calcāre to tread
calque in American English
(kælk)
noun
a borrowing by which a specialized meaning of a word or phrase in one language is transferred to another language by a literal translation of each of the individual elements (Ex.: masterpiece, from German meisterstück)
Word origin
Fr, an imitation, tracing < calquer, to trace < It calcare, to press, trample < L, to tread: see caulk