circuit

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circuit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of going or moving around.

a circular journey or one beginning and ending at the same place; a round.

a roundabout journey or course.

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.

the persons making such a journey.

the route followed, places visited, or district covered by such a journey.

the line going around or bounding any area or object; the distance about an area or object.

the space within a bounding line; district: the circuit of the valley.

Electricity.

Also called electric circuit.the complete path of an electric current, including the generating apparatus, intervening resistors, or capacitors.
any well-defined segment of a complete circuit.

Telecommunications. a means of transmitting communication signals or messages, usually comprising two channels for interactive communication.Compare channel¹(def 12).

a number of theaters, nightclubs, etc., controlled by the same owner or manager or visited in turn by the same entertainers or acting companies.

a league or association: He used to play baseball for the Texas circuit.

verb (used with object)

to go or move around; make the circuit of.

verb (used without object)

to go or move in a circuit.

Idioms

ride circuit, Law. (of a judge) to travel a judicial county or district in order to conduct judicial proceedings.

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 for circuit

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circuit ON THESAURUS.COM

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for circuit

Contemporary Examples of circuit

And in September 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ordered the release of a 21-photo subset.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See
Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak
December 15, 2014
Take the case of Herx v. Diocese of Fort Wayne, an employment discrimination suit in the Seventh Circuit.
Catholic Church: Religious Freedom Trumps Civil Rights
Jay Michaelson
November 23, 2014
The Sixth Circuit offered not one but eight arguments to allow states to ban gay marriage in its deeply weird ruling.
All The Wrong Reasons to Ban Gay Unions
Jay Michaelson
November 7, 2014
Most of the young trekkers traversing the circuit still find time to check their email and update their Facebook pages.
Nepal’s Deadliest Avalanche Was Totally Avoidable
Dick Dorworth
October 20, 2014
In the meantime, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is investigating the incident.
The Ray Rice of Judges May Keep His Job
Tim Mak
September 11, 2014

Historical Examples of circuit

This to some extent impairs the conductivity of the circuit.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 433, April 19, 1884
Various
To indicate the effect, he included a galvanometer in the circuit of the battery and the button.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
It had required Sam's reference to gas and crude oil to close the circuit.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
He should have kept upon this circuit; he'd have been very useful to me.
The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby
Charles Dickens
Hale wrote his ‘Contemplations’ while travelling on circuit.
Self-Help
Samuel Smiles

British Dictionary definitions for circuit

circuit

noun

a complete route or course, esp one that is curved or circular or that lies around an object
the area enclosed within such a route

the act of following such a routewe made three circuits of the course

a complete path through which an electric current can flow
(as modifier)a circuit diagram

a periodical journey around an area, as made by judges, salesmen, etc
the route traversed or places visited on such a journey
the persons making such a journey

an administrative division of the Methodist Church comprising a number of neighbouring churches

English law one of six areas into which England is divided for the administration of justice

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

sport

a series of tournaments in which the same players regularly take partthe international tennis circuit
the circuitthe contestants who take part in such a series

mainly British a motor racing track, usually of irregular shape

verb

to make or travel in a circuit around (something)

Derived Formscircuital, adjective

Word Origin for circuit

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

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.

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

Science definitions for circuit

circuit

[sûr′kĭt]

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.

A system of electrically connected parts or devices.

circuit

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Origin of circuit

Synonyms for circuit

Examples from the Web for circuit

Contemporary Examples of circuit

Historical Examples of circuit

circuit

noun

verb

Word Origin for circuit

circuit