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encircle

 [en-sur-kuhl]   Origin

en·cir·cle

   [en-sur-kuhl]
verb (used with object), -cled, -cling.
1.
to form a circle around; surround; encompass: to encircle an enemy.
2.
to make a circling movement around; make the circuit of.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; see en-1, circle

Related forms
en·cir·cle·ment, noun
un·en·cir·cled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Encircle is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
to spend time idly; loaf.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
encircle (ɪnˈsɜːkəl)
 
—vb
(tr) to form a circle around; enclose within a circle; surround
 
en'circlement
 
—n
 
en'circling
 
—adj

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

encircle
c.1400, from en- "make, put in" + circle. Related: Encircled; encircling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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