Where does “circus” come from?

Circus comes from Latin circus, derived from Proto-Indo-European sker-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek-, meaning to cut or separate.

circus (English): A traveling company of performers that may...

Definitions

  1. A traveling company of performers that may...

Ancestry of “circus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcircus—
2Latincircusa circular line or orbit; circle, ring; a...
3Ancient Greekκρίκοςring
4Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “circus”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →