CIRCUM- Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

circum-

a prefix with the meaning “round about, around,” found in Latin loanwords, especially derivatives of verbs that had the general senses “to encompass or surround” ( circumference; circumjacent; circumstance ) or “to go around” by the means or in the manner specified by the verb ( circumnavigate; circumscribe ); on this basis forming adjectives in English with the meaning “surrounding” that named by the stem ( circumocular; circumpolar ).

circum.

abbreviation for

circumference.

circum-

prefix

around; surrounding; on all sides
circumrotate
circumlocution

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A prefix meaning “around”, as in circumscribe, to draw a figure around another figure.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of circum-¹

From Latin circum “around” (accusative of circus; circus, circle ), originally as an adverb fixed in relation to the verb, later construed as a prefix

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of circum-¹

from Latin circum around, from circus circle

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But the Latinate words that the dance brings to mind are the ones that start with “circum,” or ”around.”

From

“It got me thinking about the roots of the word ‘circumstance,’ which are ‘circum,’ meaning ‘circle,’ and ‘stance,’ or standing, I thought, wow, how apropos that was.”

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He and more than 1,000 other immigrants in similar circumstances say they should have a chance to return to their homes and families while fighting deportation.

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For another, a conversation, under these circumstances, is an intimate act that calls for more delicacy than “be blunt.”

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And that, at least, gave me some hope: that even under ordinary circum- stances, I still might find a way to live an extraordinary life.

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