Nearby Words
verb (used with object), -scribed, -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. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Circumscribed
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| 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. |
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
Medical Dictionary
circumscribed cir·cum·scribed (sûr'kəm-skrībd')
adj.
Bounded by a line; limited or confined.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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
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