Where does “circumstance” come from?
Circumstance comes from Middle English circumstaunce, from Old French circonstance, from Latin circumstantia, derived from the present participle circumstans of circumsto, meaning "to stand around," from circum- and the Proto-Indo-European root steh₂- meaning "to stand."
circumstance (English): That which attends, or relates to, or in some way...
Definitions
- That which attends, or relates to, or in some way...
Ancestry of “circumstance”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | circumstaunce | — |
| 2 | Old French | circonstance | — |
| 3 | Latin | circumstantia | surrounding; encircling troops; circumstance |
| 4 | Latin | circumstans | surrounding, encircling |
| 5 | Latin | circumsto | I stand around, or in a circle; I surround or... |
| 6 | Latin | circum- | circum- round, about |
| 7 | Latin | circum | about, around; in a circle, all around, on both... |
| 8 | Latin | circus | a circular line or orbit; circle, ring; a... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | κρίκος | ring |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |