Where does “encircle” come from?
Encircle comes from Middle English en- plus Latin circulus, which derives from Latin in- and Latin in, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- meaning to turn or bend.
encircle (English): To surround, form a circle around; To move or go...
Definitions
- To surround, form a circle around; To move or go...
Ancestry of “encircle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | circle | A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line,... |
| 2 | Middle English | circle | — |
| 3 | Old French | cercle | circle |
| 4 | Latin | circulus | circle; An orbit; A ring, hoop |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |