Circle

How to spell circle

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce circle

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does circle mean?

1. nounA perfectly round closed shape whose every point lies the same distance from the centre.
2. verbTo move all the way around something, or to draw a ring around it.
3. nounA group of people who share interests, friendship, or professional ties.

Circle in a sentence

• noun

  The teacher drew a neat circle on the whiteboard to show the diagram.

• verb

  Please circle the correct answer on the exam paper.

• noun

  She relied on a close circle of friends during the difficult move.

• noun

  The children sat in a circle on the carpet during story time.

• verb

  The plane had to circle the airport twice before landing.

• noun

  The news spread quickly within his professional circle.

Where does circle come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin circulus, which was a small ring or hoop, the diminutive of circus meaning 'ring' or 'circular line'. The Romans used circus for round arenas and racecourses, so circulus literally meant 'a little ring'. Latin handed the word to Old English as circul and also fed it back in later through Old French cercle, and the two streams settled into the modern spelling circle. The same circus root still rings through related words like 'circuit', 'circulate', and even 'search'. The spelling trap is the ending: the sound is 'kuhl', but it is written -cle, with the second c softened to an s sound by the following letters.

How the word is built

• circ- (ring, from Latin circus)
• -le (diminutive suffix)