kəmˌskraɪb, ˌsɜr verb (used with object), cir·cum·scribed, cir·cum·scrib·ing.
1.
to draw a line around; encircle: to circumscribe a city on a map.
2.
to enclose within bounds; limit or confine, especially narrowly: Her social activities are circumscribed by school regulations.
3.
to mark off; define; delimit: to circumscribe the area of a science.
4.
Geometry.
a.
to draw (a figure) around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible.
b.
(of a figure) to enclose (another figure) in this manner.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin circumscrībere, equivalent to circum- circum- + scrībere to write
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin circumscrībere, equivalent to circum- circum- + scrībere to write
Related forms
cir·cum·scrib·a·ble, adjective
cir·cum·scrib·er, noun
non·cir·cum·scribed, adjective
un·cir·cum·scrib·a·ble, adjective
un·cir·cum·scribed, adjective
Synonyms
2. restrict, restrain, check, hamper, hinder.
2. restrict, restrain, check, hamper, hinder.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To circumscribe
00:10
Circumscribe
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
circumscribe (ˌsɜːkəmˈskraɪb, ˈsɜːkəmˌskraɪb) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to restrict within limits |
| 2. | to mark or set the bounds of |
| 3. | Compare inscribe to draw a geometric construction around (another construction) so that the two are in contact but do not intersect |
| 4. | to draw a line round |
| [C15: from Latin circumscrībere, from | |
| circum'scribable | |
| —adj | |
| circum'scriber | |
| —n | |
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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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
circumscribe
c.1385, from L. circumscribere "to draw a line around, limit, confine," from circum- "around" + scribere "write" (see script).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
circumscribe  (sûr'kəm-skrīb') Pronunciation Key
To draw a figure around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible. A circle that is circumscribed around a triangle touches it at each of the triangle's three vertices. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
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