Where does “circle” come from?
Circle comes from Middle English cercle, from Latin circulus, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, meaning to turn or bend.
circle (English): A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line,...
Definitions
- A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line,...
Ancestry of “circle”, step by step
circle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English circle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | circle | — |
| 2 | Old French | cercle | circle |
| 3 | Latin | circulus | circle; An orbit; A ring, hoop |
| 4 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via German Zirkel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Zirkel | compass; circle |