around; surrounding; on all sides: circumlocution, circumrotate
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
circum-, prefix.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- circum- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "round, around.'' This meaning is found in such words as: circuit, circuitous, circumcise, circumference, circumlocution, circumnavigate, circumstance, circumvent, circus.
circum-,
circum.,
- a prefix with the meaning "round about, around,'' found in Latin loanwords, esp. derivatives of verbs that had the general senses "to encompass or surround'' (circumference;
circumjacent;
circumstance) or "to go around'' by the means or in the manner specified by the verb (circumnavigate;
circumscribe);
on this basis forming adjectives in English with the meaning "surrounding'' that named by the stem (circumocular;
circumpolar).
- Latin circum around (accusative of circus; see circus, circle), origin, originally as an adverb, adverbial fixed in relation to the verb, verbal, later construed as a prefix
circum.,
- Mathematicscircumference.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'circum' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
C, c
- cir.
- circ
- circuit
- circum-
- circumambient
- circumambulate
- circumbasal
- circumbendibus
- circumcenter
- circumcircle
- circumcise
- circumcolumnar
- circumference
- circumflex
- circumfluent
- circumfluous
- circumfuse
- circumgyration
- circumincession
- circumjacent
- circumlocution
- circumlunar
- circumnavigate
- circumnutate
- circumnutation
- circumocular
- circumpolar
- circumradius
- circumrotate
- circumscissile
- circumscribe
- circumscript
- circumscription
- circumsolar
- circumspect
- circumstance
- circumstellar
- circumterrestrial
- circumvallate
- circumvent
- circumvolution
- circumvolve
- happenstance