circuitry

American  

[sur-ki-tree] / ˈsɜr kɪ tri /

noun

1. the science of designing electric or electronic circuits.

2. the circuits themselves.

3. the components of such circuits.

---

circuitry British  

/ ˈsɜːkɪtrɪ /

noun

1. the design of an electrical circuit

2. the system of circuits used in an electronic device

---

Etymology

Origin of circuitry

First recorded in 1945–50; circuit + -ry

Explanation

Circuitry is a network of interconnected paths through which electricity flows, especially in a computer or other electronic device. It's a bit like the electrical version of the body's circulatory system. Circuitry can refer to the actual electronic components that direct and control the flow of electricity in a device or to the detailed plans for an electrical circuit or system of circuits. Each electrical circuit has a source of electrical power (such as a battery), a conductive pathway (such as a wire), and a load that is being powered by the electricity. A switch is opened or closed to start or stop the flow. A device's circuitry is made up of all the circuits within it as well as the pieces connecting them.

Example Sentences

Somewhere deep in the limbic system, a synapse fires like a flare, tracing the old circuitry of migration and memory — that annual pull toward the wide-open deserts of the American Southwest.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

He moved on to Commodore International, where he designed circuitry for calculators, and later to Seeq Technology, working on chips for computer networks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

"We're not talking about therapies yet. But you can't develop them unless you first understand the wiring diagram. That's what this gives us -- a deeper view into the circuitry of gene control in astrocytes."

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2025

"Oligodendrocytes are a type of brain cell that help to maintain specific connections between brain areas by helping the connecting circuitry to stay healthy and strong."

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2024

Human beings, it is often said, are hardwired for narrative, and theater taps into Mariela’s brain circuitry in a way nothing else ever has.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• chip
• electronics
• wiring