circum-

Save This Word!

a prefix with the meaning “round about, around,” found in Latin loanwords, especially derivatives of verbs that had the general senses “to encompass or surround” (circumference; circumjacent; circumstance) or “to go around” by the means or in the manner specified by the verb (circumnavigate; circumscribe); on this basis forming adjectives in English with the meaning “surrounding” that named by the stem (circumocular; circumpolar).

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of circum-

From Latin circum “around” (accusative of circus; see circus, circle), originally as an adverb fixed in relation to the verb, later construed as a prefix

Other definitions for circum- (2 of 2)

circum.

abbreviation

circumference.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use circum- in a sentence

I stated this circum- stance to F. Kohlmann, at breakfast, and requested him to accompany me.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 5 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amicoTangit, et admissus circum præcordia ludit.
Discourses on Satire and on Epic Poetry|John Dryden
The latter had a large comitatus of his own: magnum numerum equitatus suo sumptu semper alere et circum se habere (I 18).
The Heroic Age|H. Munro Chadwick
At noon satisfactory sets of circum-meridional altitudes were obtained with two good sextants.
Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle, between the years 1826 and 1836|Robert FitzRoy

“Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico Tangit, et admissus circum præcordia ludit,” &c.
A Defence of Poesie and Poems|Philip Sidney

British Dictionary definitions for circum-

circum-

prefix

around; surrounding; on all sidescircumlocution; circumrotate

Word Origin for circum-

from Latin circum around, from circus circle

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

Scientific definitions for circum-

circum-

A prefix meaning around, as in circumscribe, to draw a figure around another figure.