circle
/ˈsɜːkəl/SUR-kuhl
/ˈsɝkəl/SUR-kuhl
Meaninga little ring
Common meaning: a round line on which every point is the same distance from the middle
- circa ring; aroundLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 335 · scan
- lenoun ending (from Latin -ulus)
Journey through time
- Aryan root · reconstructed√KAR‘curve, or to roll’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 56, p. 732 · scan
- Latincircus; circum‘a ring’
- Englishcircle‘a round line on which every point is the same distance from the middle’ · today
circ also in: circuscircuitcircularcirculatecircumstance
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin circus; circum ‘a ring; around’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry circus, p. 335 · dictionary scan
Roots
- circus; circum Latin “a ring; around”
Related words
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