Etymologically
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circulo

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Forms

circulō (present infinitive circulāre, perfect active circulāvī, supine circulātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from circulus “small ring, circle” with the verb suffix -ō.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Cicero, of the deponent circulārī.[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

As a deponent, circulor, it meant to gather a ring of people round oneself, for talk or to give a performance, as in Cicero.[2] The active, a post-classical collateral form, meant to make circular or curved, as in Apuleius' circulāre digitōs “to make a ring with one's fingers”.[2][5][6]

Its participle circulātus gave English circulate in the 1540s, first a chemical term.[3] It survives in Italian circolare and cerchiare and French circuler.[1]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses circulārī.[2][4]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it of rounding.[2][4]
  • 1540s – English circulate is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make round or curved.[2]
  2. (deponent) To gather a group round oneself.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.