circlet

American  

[sur-klit] / ˈsɜr klɪt /

noun

1. a small circle.

2. a ring.

3. a ring-shaped ornament, especially for the head.

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circlet British  

/ ˈsɜːklɪt /

noun

1. a small circle or ring, esp a circular ornament worn on the head

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Etymology

Origin of circlet

1475–85; circle + -et; replacing late Middle English serclett < Middle French

Explanation

Use the noun circlet to describe something that's shaped like a little circle. You might shape a circlet of greens to hang on your door as a wreath. Circlet is an old-fashioned word for a small circle. You could talk about a bride putting a circlet of gold on her groom's finger, or describe a doughnut as a circlet of sweet dough fried in hot oil. Classically, a circlet referred to a crown — a circle made of fine metal and jewels. The Latin root, circus, means "ring," and the French cerclet came later, to mean a smaller ring or circle.