circle English · revision 4638

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1300|origins=la circus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈsɜː.kəl/, US /ˈsɝː.kəl/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|cercle]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|fro|cercle|t=circle, ring; hoop of a helmet or barrel]] (12th century),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[la|circulus|t=circular figure, small ring, hoop]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021) a diminutive of circus “ring”, the source of [[circus]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021) probably from Greek kirkos, krikos “ring”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) The spelling was later altered after Latin circulus,^(MWU 2024)^(Hoad 1986) and the modern spelling circle was gradually established in the 1500s.^(Barnhart 1988) Late Old English circul, borrowed from Latin and used only in astronomy, did not survive.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) It is related to [[circuit]] and [[circulate]].^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A perfectly round plane figure: about 1300 in Barnhart and Etymonline,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) about 1305 in the OED.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It replaced Old English trendel and hring.^(Etymonline) It was soon used in a vaguer sense of anything round, from about 1380,^(OED 1989) and of a figure in magic from 1529.^(OED 1989) A coterie is from the 1640s, a sense also found in Latin circulus,^(Etymonline) and a group of people round a centre of interest from 1714.^(Etymonline) ''Come full circle'' goes back to Shakespeare's King Lear, “The wheel is come full circle”, the wheel of Fortune.^(Cresswell 2021)^(Etymonline) In logic a circular argument is from the 1640s,^(Etymonline) and dark circles round the eyes from 1848.^(Etymonline) ''Go round in circles'' is from 1933.^(OED 1989) The verb meant to surround from about 1385, in Chaucer,^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) and to move round in a circle from the mid-15th century.^(Etymonline) ''Circle the wagons'', to take a defensive stance, is from 1969, from Western films.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1300 – a round plane figure.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1385 – verb, to surround.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * mid-15th century – verb, to move round.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1529 – a magic circle.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1640s – a coterie; a circular argument.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1714 – a group round a centre.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1848 – circles under the eyes.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1969 – ''circle the wagons''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A closed plane curve every point of which is the same distance from the centre, or the area it encloses.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Something shaped like a circle; a [[ring]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A group of people with a shared interest or profession: ''literary circles''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A circular course or [[orbit]]; a cycle.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A curved upper section of seats in a theatre.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To move in a circle around.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To draw a circle around; to [[encircle]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[circler]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[circular]]

+ * [[circulate]]

+ * [[circus]]

+ * [[circuit]]

+ * [[search]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}