circle

A2 Topic:Mathematics & Measurement

US /ˈsɜɹkəl/ UK /ˈsɜːkəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #2581

Meanings

1

noun
A perfectly round shape, like a ring.

Children, please join hands and form a circle.
2

noun
A group of people who know each other or share an interest.

She is well known in his inner circle of friends.
3

verb
To draw a circle around something.

The teacher circled the spelling mistakes in red.
4

verb
To move in a circle around something.

The plane circled the airport before landing.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a perfectly round shape,... ring loop

2 noun · a group of people who know... group gang

3 verb · to draw a circle around... encircle

Word family

Forms circledcirclescircling

Derived forms circle-acircle-ishcircle-jerkcircle-strafecirclejerkcirclelikecirclenesscirclercirclevillecirclewisecircleycircline

Related forms circular circulate circus

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

circle around
to move along a curved route or repeatedly around an area

Verb + adverb

Idioms (6)

See all

circle back
to return to a topic or person later, after other things have happened
full circle
back to the original position or state after a series of changes
go round in circles
To repeat the same discussion or actions without reaching a solution or making progress.
vicious circle
a loop of cause and effect in which each problem makes the next one worse
square the circle
to try to resolve a problem widely regarded as extremely difficult or impossible
virtuous circle
a beneficial loop in which each success makes the next success more likely

Simplified etymology

Circle dates from Old English and comes from Latin circulus, meaning “small ring,” from circus, meaning “ring.” The Latin circus is also the source of the English word circus.

Etymology

From Middle English circle, cercle, from Old French cercle and Latin circulus, diminutive of Latin circus (“circle, circus”), from Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos, “circle, ring”), related to Old English hring (“ring”). Compare also Old English ċircul (“circle, zodiac”), which came from the same Latin source. By surface analysis, Latin circ(us) + -(u)le.

*(s)ker- (turn) Proto-Indo-European circle Middle English cercle Old French circulus Latin circus Middle English κίρκος Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Mathematics & Measurement

External links

# circle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɜɹkəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɜːkəl/
**Frequency rank:** 2581

## Meanings
1. A perfectly round shape, like a ring.
2. A group of people who know each other or share an interest.
3. To draw a circle around something.
4. To move in a circle around something.

## Examples
- Children, please join hands and form a circle.
- She is well known in his inner circle of friends.
- The teacher circled the spelling mistakes in red.
- The plane circled the airport before landing.

## Derived Forms
- circle-a
- circle-ish
- circle-jerk
- circle-strafe
- circlejerk
- circlelike
- circleness
- circler
- circleville
- circlewise
- circley
- circline

## Related Forms
- circular
- circulate
- circus

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)ker- (turn)
- Root: circle
- Root: cercle
- Root: circulus
- Root: circus
- Root: κίρκος

## Etymology
From Middle English circle, cercle, from Old French cercle and Latin circulus, diminutive of Latin circus (“circle, circus”), from Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos, “circle, ring”), related to Old English hring (“ring”). Compare also Old English ċircul (“circle, zodiac”), which came from the same Latin source. By surface analysis, Latin circ(us) + -(u)le.

## AI Etymology
circle is a noun and verb. It is from Middle English circle, cercle, from Old French cercle and Latin circulus, diminutive of Latin circus (“circle, circus”), from Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos, “circle, ring”), related to Old English hring (“ring”). Compare also Old English ċircul (“circle, zodiac”), which came from the same Latin source. By surface analysis, Latin circ(us) + -(u)le. Historical forms in the chain include *(s)ker- (turn) (Proto-Indo-European), circle (Middle English), cercle (Old French), circulus (Latin), circus (Latin), and κίρκος (Ancient Greek). Current senses include a perfectly round shape, like a ring, a group of people who know each other or share an interest, and to draw a circle around something. Derived forms include circle-a, circle-ish, circle-jerk, circle-strafe, and circlejerk. Related words include circular, circulate, and circus.

## Topics
- Mathematics & Measurement

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