circum-


  1. 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 of circum-

1
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
  1. circumference.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use circum- in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for circum-

circum-

prefix
  1. around; surrounding; on all sides: circumlocution; circumrotate

Origin of circum-

1
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-

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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.