circumscription

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of drawing a boundary around something or limiting its extent

   Strict circumscription of the emergency power prevented it from becoming permanent.

2. 2
   noun

   a boundary, enclosing line, or area defined by such a boundary

   The wall marked the old circumscription of the monastery grounds.

3. 3
   noun

   the definition of which organisms belong to a particular taxonomic group

   New genetic evidence changed the circumscription of the plant family.

From Latin circumscriptio, 'a drawing around, boundary, or limitation,' from circumscribere, 'to draw a line around,' built from circum, 'around,' + scribere, 'to write or draw.' The taxonomic sense treats a group as an area whose membership is bounded.

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