circum-

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 ).

Origin:
< Latin circum around (accusative of circus; see circus, circle), orig. as an adv. fixed in relation to the v., later construed as a prefix

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To circum-

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Circum- is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

circum-

—*prefix*
	around; surrounding; on all sides: circumlocution; circumrotate

[from Latin circum around, from circus circle]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

circum-

prefix meaning "around," from L. adv. and prep. circum "around, round about," accusative form of circus "ring" (see circle).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

circum- pref.
Around; about: circumduction.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

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

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circumrotate circumscribe circumspect circumstance circumvallate circumvent

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