Where does “circonstance” come from?
circonstance (Old French) comes from Latin circumstantia, from Latin circumstans, from Latin circumsto, from Latin circum-, from Latin circum, from Latin circus, from Ancient Greek κρίκος, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- — dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth.
Ancestry of “circonstance”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | circumstantia | surrounding; encircling troops; circumstance |
| 2 | Latin | circumstans | surrounding, encircling |
| 3 | Latin | circumsto | I stand around, or in a circle; I surround or... |
| 4 | Latin | circum- | circum- round, about |
| 5 | Latin | circum | about, around; in a circle, all around, on both... |
| 6 | Latin | circus | a circular line or orbit; circle, ring; a... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | κρίκος | ring |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |