around

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈraʊnd/^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English around,^[3][4] from the phrase on round,^[5][6] probably formed from Middle English a- (“on, in”) + round (“circle”).^[7][4][8] Hoad suggests that in its earliest use it may have imitated Old French a la reonde (“round about”),^[9] and the Shorter Oxford compares Middle French en rond (“in a circle”).^[10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

In circumference, in a circle; on every side (probably before 1300, in Kyng Alisaunder; c. 1300 in Etymonline).^[12][6][13]

Semantic evolution

The word was rare before 1600;^[6][9] Weekley notes that it does not occur in Shakespeare or the Authorized Version.^[11] It was used as a preposition, along a circuit, from the late 14th century, and in the sense “encircling” from the 1660s.^[6] In the sense “here and there, with no fixed direction” (to travel around, to fool around) it is attested from 1776 in American English, where British English prefers about;^[6][13] the OED notes that American around for round was coming back into British use.^[13] Of time, “about, approximately”, it is recorded by 1869–73.^[14][6] The adjective, “up and about”, dates from 1849,^[3][13] and later “in existence, present”;^[4] to get around to is from 1864 and to have been around, to have gained worldly experience, from 1927, both American.^[6][13]

Timeline

• c. 1300 – in a circle; on every side.^[5][6]
• late 14th century – as a preposition, along a circuit.^[6]
• 1660s – encircling, surrounding.^[6]
• 1776 – here and there (US).^[6][13]
• 1849 – adjective, astir, out of bed.^[3][13]
• 1864 – get around to.^[6]
• 1869 – approximately.^[14]
• 1927 – to have been around.^[6][13]

Modern meaning

Adverb

1. On all sides; in every direction: for miles around.
2. In a circle or with circular motion; in circumference: a tree five feet around.
3. So as to face the other way: turned around.
4. Here and there; from place to place, often aimlessly: travels around.
5. Nearby; present or available: wait around.
6. Approximately; about.

Preposition

1. On all sides of; so as to encircle: around the table.
2. So as to pass or avoid: around the corner or a way around the rules.
3. Here and there in; throughout: driving around Ireland.
4. Approximately at; near: around 1957.
5. With a centre or basis in: organized around kinship.

Adjective

1. Up and about; active.
2. In existence or circulation; present.

Word family

• all-around
• go-around
• around-the-clock
• shootaround
• ring-around-the-rosy
• round
• runaround
• turnaround

Related words

• about
• surround

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
12. ^ Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
13. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
14. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)