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circumambulate

[ sur-kuhm-am-byuh-leyt ]
/ ˌsɜr kəmˈæm byəˌleɪt /
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See synonyms for circumambulate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with or without object), cir·cum·am·bu·lat·ed, cir·cum·am·bu·lat·ing.
to walk or go about or around, especially ceremoniously.
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Origin of circumambulate

First recorded in 1650–60, circumambulate is from the Late Latin word circumambulātus (past participle of circumambulāre). See circum-, ambulate

OTHER WORDS FROM circumambulate

cir·cum·am·bu·la·tion, nouncir·cum·am·bu·la·tor, nouncir·cum·am·bu·la·to·ry, adjective

Words nearby circumambulate

circulatory, circulatory system, circulus, circum-, circumambient, circumambulate, circumanal gland, circumbasal, circumbendibus, circumcenter, circumcircle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to circumambulate

cover, drift, encompass, reach, spread, amble, cruise, float, hike, meander, ramble, roam, saunter, straggle, stray, stroll, traipse, trek, cross, explore

How to use circumambulate in a sentence

  • Do thou, therefore, circumambulate that great hero cheerfully.

    The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 4|Kisari Mohan Ganguli

  • Is this me, around whom children ran, as they would about a pillar or a monument, and thought it exercise to circumambulate?

    Arthur O'Leary|Charles James Lever

  • They kneel, clasp their hands, circumambulate the Buddha and file out.

    The Buddha|Paul Carus

  • Round this there is a dark and narrow passage which pilgrims circumambulate.

    The Unveiling of Lhasa|Edmund Candler

British Dictionary definitions for circumambulate

circumambulate
/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈæmbjʊˌleɪt) /
verb
to walk around (something)
(intr) to avoid the point

Derived forms of circumambulate

circumambulation, nouncircumambulator, nouncircumambulatory, adjective

Word Origin for circumambulate

C17: from Late Latin circum- + ambulāre to walk
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
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