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circuit

[sur-kit]
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noun
  1. an act or instance of going or moving around.
  2. a circular journey or one beginning and ending at the same place; a round.
  3. a roundabout journey or course.
  4. a periodical journey from place to place, to perform certain duties, as by judges to hold court, ministers to preach, or salespeople covering a route.
  5. the persons making such a journey.
  6. the route followed, places visited, or district covered by such a journey.
  7. the line going around or bounding any area or object; the distance about an area or object.
  8. the space within a bounding line; district: the circuit of the valley.
  9. Electricity.
    1. Also called electric circuit.the complete path of an electric current, including the generating apparatus, intervening resistors, or capacitors.
    2. any well-defined segment of a complete circuit.
  10. Telecommunications. a means of transmitting communication signals or messages, usually comprising two channels for interactive communication.Compare channel1(def 12).
  11. a number of theaters, nightclubs, etc., controlled by the same owner or manager or visited in turn by the same entertainers or acting companies.
  12. a league or association: He used to play baseball for the Texas circuit.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to go or move around; make the circuit of.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to go or move in a circuit.
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Idioms
  1. ride circuit, Law. (of a judge) to travel a judicial county or district in order to conduct judicial proceedings.
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Origin of circuit

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin circuitus, variant of circumitus circular motion, cycle, equivalent to circu(m)i-, variant stem of circu(m)īre to go round, circle (circum- circum- + īre to go) + -tus suffix of v. action; cf. ambit, exit1
Related formscir·cuit·al, adjectivemin·i·cir·cuit, nounmul·ti·cir·cuit, nounmul·ti·cir·cuit·ed, adjectivenon·cir·cuit·ed, adjectivesub·cir·cuit, noun

Synonyms

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2. tour, revolution, orbit. 7. circumference, perimeter, periphery, boundary, compass. 8. region, compass, area, range, field. 11. chain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for circuit

circuit

noun
    1. a complete route or course, esp one that is curved or circular or that lies around an object
    2. the area enclosed within such a route
  2. the act of following such a routewe made three circuits of the course
    1. a complete path through which an electric current can flow
    2. (as modifier)a circuit diagram
    1. a periodical journey around an area, as made by judges, salesmen, etc
    2. the route traversed or places visited on such a journey
    3. the persons making such a journey
  5. an administrative division of the Methodist Church comprising a number of neighbouring churches
  6. English law one of six areas into which England is divided for the administration of justice
  7. a number of theatres, cinemas, etc, under one management or in which the same film is shown or in which a company of performers plays in turn
  8. sport
    1. a series of tournaments in which the same players regularly take partthe international tennis circuit
    2. the circuitthe contestants who take part in such a series
  9. mainly British a motor racing track, usually of irregular shape
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verb
  1. to make or travel in a circuit around (something)
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Derived Formscircuital, adjective

Word Origin

C14: from Latin circuitus a going around, from circumīre, from circum around + īre to go
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for circuit

n.

late 14c., "a going around; a line going around," from Old French circuit (14c.) "a circuit; a journey (around something)," from Latin circuitus "a going around," from stem of circuire, circumire "go around," from circum "round" (see circum-) + ire "to go" (see ion). Electrical sense is from 1746. Of judicial assignments, from 1570s; of venues for itinerant entertainers, from 1834. Circuit breaker is recorded from 1874. Related: Circuital.

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v.

"to go around," early 15c., from circuit (n.). Related: Circuited; circuiting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
circuit in Science

circuit

[sûr′kĭt]
  1. A closed path through which an electric current flows or may flow.♦ Circuits in which a power source is connected to two or more components (such as light bulbs, or logic gates in a computer circuit), one after the other, are called series circuits. If the circuit is broken, none of the components receives a current. Circuits in which a power source is directly connected to two or more components are called parallel circuits. If a break occurs in the circuit, only the component along whose path the break occurs stops receiving a current.
  2. A system of electrically connected parts or devices.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.