Wiktionary

circular

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English circuler, circuleer, circulere, from Old French circulier, from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus, diminutive of circus (“ring”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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circular (comparative more circular, superlative most circular)

  1. Of or relating to a circle.
  2. In the shape of, or moving in a circle.
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.
  3. Circuitous or roundabout.
  4. Referring back to itself, so as to prevent computation or comprehension; infinitely recursive.
    circular reasoning
    Your dictionary defines "brave" as "courageous", and "courageous" as "brave". That's a circular definition.
    a circular formula in a spreadsheet
    I changed the definition of "sex" from "to have sex" to "to have sexual intercourse"; a dictionary definition must never be circular; using the word being defined to define itself.
  5. Distributed to a large number of persons.
    • 1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England from the Accession of Henry VII. to the Death of George II. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Murray, […], →OCLC:
      a proclamation of Henry III., […] doubtless circular throughout England
  6. (obsolete) Perfect; complete.
    • 1632, Philip Massinger, Maid of Honour, act I, scene 2:
      A man so absolute and circular / In all those wished-for rarities that may take / A virgin captive.
  7. (archaic) Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior.
    • February 1, 1711, John Dennis, on the Genius and Writings of Shakespeare
      Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido?

Synonyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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circular (plural circulars)

  1. An advertisement, directive or notice intended for mass circulation.
    Synonym: (advertisement) flyer
  2. Short for circular letter.
  3. Short for circular file.
  4. (dated) A sleeveless cloak cut from a circular pattern.
  5. A shuttle bus with a circular route.

Translations

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See also

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Verb

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circular (third-person singular simple present circulars, present participle circularing, simple past and past participle circulared)

  1. To distribute circulars to or at.
    • 1851, G. W. Muir, Report on the State of Engine and Other Furnaces, page 19:
      The result of the sending of these notices confirms me in the opinion, that it will be necessary to adopt legal means with the great majority of these parties. The circulars have had little effect. In fact, the parties have been “circulared" into the notion that nothing more formidable will ever be sent to them.
    • 1873, Old and new - Volume 8, page 101:
      It is true, that, to obtain these, some six hundred or more institutions were circulared, and a good many of these a second time.
    • 1909, American Life Convention, Report of the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Life Convention, page 42:
      I do not mean to say we have never employed some of them who come to us—but we have never circulared agents or gone after them.
    • 1962, Harrie Sheridan Baketel, Medical Economics - Volume 39, page 141:
      If you've ever been circulared by drug repackaging houses, you know they usually offer to trade a selection of office supplies for your unused drug samples.
  2. To extend in a circular direction.
    • 2008, Donald E. Wagner, Kenneth Cragg, Dying in the Land of Promise, page 116:
      The theme can be expressed in an architectural analogy. For, of all contriving to encover space, the arch — alone or 'circulared' into the dome — is the most ingenious.

Asturian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Late Latin circulāris, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

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circular (epicene, plural circulares)

  1. circular
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Verb

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circular (first-person singular indicative present circulo, past participle circuláu)

  1. to circle

Conjugation

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Conjugation of circular
infinitive circular
gerund circulando
past participle m circuláu, f circulada, n circulao, m pl circulaos, f pl circulaes
person first singular
yo 		second singular
tu 		third singular
él/elli 		first plural
nosotros/nós 		second plural
vosotros/vós 		third plural
ellos
indicative present circulo circules circula circulamos circuláis circulen
imperfect circulaba circulabes circulaba circulábemos, circulábamos circulabeis, circulabais circulaben
preterite circulé circulasti, circulesti circuló circulemos circulastis, circulestis circularon
pluperfect circulare, circulara circulares, circularas circulare, circulara circuláremos, circuláramos circulareis, circularais circularen, circularan
future circularé circularás circulará circularemos circularéis circularán
conditional circularía circularíes circularía circularíemos, circularíamos circularíeis, circularíais circularíen
subjunctive present circule circules, circulas circule circulemos circuléis circulen, circulan
imperfect circulare, circulara circulares, circularas circulare, circulara circuláremos, circuláramos circulareis, circularais circularen, circularan
imperative — circula — — circulái —
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Catalan

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Late Latin circulāris, from Latin circulus.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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circular m or f (masculine and feminine plural circulars)

  1. circular

Noun

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circular f (plural circulars)

  1. circular

Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Late Latin circulāre, post-Augustan form of Latin circulārī.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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circular (first-person singular present circulo, first-person singular preterite circulí, past participle circulat)

  1. to circulate
  2. to move, to travel
Conjugation
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    Conjugation of circular (first conjugation)
infinitive circular
gerund circulant
past participle masculine feminine
singular circulat circulada
plural circulats circulades
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative jo tu ell/ella
vostè 		nosaltres
nós 		vosaltres
vós 		ells/elles
vostès
present circulo circules circula circulem circuleu circulen
imperfect circulava circulaves circulava circulàvem circulàveu circulaven
future circularé circularàs circularà circularem circulareu circularan
preterite circulí circulares circulà circulàrem circulàreu circularen
conditional circularia circularies circularia circularíem circularíeu circularien
subjunctive jo tu ell/ella
vostè 		nosaltres
nós 		vosaltres
vós 		ells/elles
vostès
present circuli circulis circuli circulem circuleu circulin
imperfect circulés circulessis circulés circuléssim circuléssiu circulessin
imperative — tu vostè nosaltres vosaltres
vós 		vostès
affirmative — circula circuli circulem circuleu circulin
negative (no) — no circulis no circuli no circulem no circuleu no circulin
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Further reading

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Galician

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

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circular m or f (plural circulares)

  1. (geometry) circular
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Portuguese

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Late Latin circulāris (“circular round”), from Latin circulus, corresponding to círculo +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: cir‧cu‧lar

Adjective

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circular m or f (plural circulares)

  1. circular; round
    Synonyms: redondo, rotundo
    Vimos um objeto circular sobrevoando a cidade.
    We saw a round object flying over the city.
  2. (Brazil) running in a loop
    Ônibus circular.
    Shuttle bus.
  3. (rhetoric, lexicography) circular (referring back to itself)
    Definição circular.
    Circular definition.
  4. circular (distributed to a large number of people)
    Carta circular.
    Circular letter.

Noun

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circular f (plural circulares)

  1. circular letter (official communication distributed to interested parties)
  2. (Portugal) ring road
    Synonyms: (Portugal) circunvalação, (Brazil) anel rodoviário, (Brazil) rodoanel

Noun

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circular m (plural circulares)

  1. (Brazil) circular (shuttle bus that runs in a loop)

Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Latin circulāre (“to make round”), post-Augustan form of Latin circulārī.

Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: cir‧cu‧lar

Verb

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circular (first-person singular present circulo, first-person singular preterite circulei, past participle circulado)

  1. (transitive) to circle (to place a circle around)
    Circulem a resposta correta. ― Circle the correct answer.
    Synonym: circundar
  2. (intransitive) to circle (to move around an axis)
    Nosso planeta circula ao redor do Sol. ― Our planet circles the Sun.
    Synonyms: girar, rodar
  3. (intransitive) to circulate (to move through a circuit)
    O sangue parou de circular em suas veias. ― Blood stopped flowing in his veins.
  4. (intransitive) to flow freely
    Abri as janelas para o ar circular. ― I opened the windows to get a better airflow.
  5. (intransitive) to move about; to walk around [with por ‘a location’]
    Depois que a neve derreteu, as pessoas começaram a circular pelo parque. ― After the snow melted, people started walking around the park.
    Circulem! ― Get going! [used to disperse a crowd]
  6. (transitive) to circulate; to disseminate; to spread
    Os alunos circularam um rumor muito maldoso. ― The students spread a nasty rumour.
  7. (intransitive) to circulate; to be disseminated; to be spread; to go around
    Circulava uma notícia sobre o acidente. ― News about the accident had been going around.
    1. (economics) to circulate (to be valid as currency)
      O euro deixará de circular no Reino Unido. ― The euro will no longer circulate in the United Kingdom.
    2. (media) to circulate (to be published and distributed)
      Este é o único jornal que ainda circula. ― This is the only newspaper still in circulation.
Conjugation
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    Conjugation of circular (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)
Singular Plural
First-person
(eu) 		Second-person
(tu) 		Third-person
(ele / ela / você) 		First-person
(nós) 		Second-person
(vós) 		Third-person
(eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal circular
Personal circular circulares circular circularmos circulardes circularem
Gerund
circulando
Past participle
Masculine circulado circulados
Feminine circulada circuladas
Indicative
Present circulo circulas circula circulamos circulais circulam
Imperfect circulava circulavas circulava circulávamos circuláveis circulavam
Preterite circulei circulaste circulou circulamos1, circulámos2 circulastes circularam
Pluperfect circulara circularas circulara circuláramos circuláreis circularam
Future circularei circularás circulará circularemos circulareis circularão
Conditional circularia circularias circularia circularíamos circularíeis circulariam
Subjunctive
Present circule circules circule circulemos circuleis circulem
Imperfect circulasse circulasses circulasse circulássemos circulásseis circulassem
Future circular circulares circular circularmos circulardes circularem
Imperative
Affirmative circula circule circulemos circulai circulem
Negative (não) não circules não circule não circulemos não circuleis não circulem

1Brazilian Portuguese.
2European Portuguese.

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French circulaire.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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circular m or n (feminine singular circulară, masculine plural circulari, feminine and neuter plural circulare)

  1. circular

Declension

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Declension of circular
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite circular circulară circulari circulare
definite circularul circulara circularii circularele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite circular circulare circulari circulare
definite circularului circularei circularilor circularelor
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Spanish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): (Spain) /θiɾkuˈlaɾ/ [θiɾ.kuˈlaɾ]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /siɾkuˈlaɾ/ [siɾ.kuˈlaɾ]
  • Rhymes: -aɾ
  • Syllabification: cir‧cu‧lar

Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Late Latin circulāris, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

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circular m or f (masculine and feminine plural circulares)

  1. circular
Derived terms
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Noun

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circular f (plural circulares)

  1. flyer, circular (advertisement)

Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Late Latin circulāre, post-Augustan form of Latin circulārī. Doublet of the inherited cerchar.[1]

Verb

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circular (first-person singular present circulo, first-person singular preterite circulé, past participle circulado)

  1. to circulate
  2. to go round, move around
  3. to scram, clear off
Conjugation
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    Conjugation of circular (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)
infinitive circular
gerund circulando
past participle masculine feminine
singular circulado circulada
plural circulados circuladas
singular plural
1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
indicative yo tú
vos 		él/ella/ello
usted 		nosotros
nosotras 		vosotros
vosotras 		ellos/ellas
ustedes
present circulo circulastú
circulásvos 		circula circulamos circuláis circulan
imperfect circulaba circulabas circulaba circulábamos circulabais circulaban
preterite circulé circulaste circuló circulamos circulasteis circularon
future circularé circularás circulará circularemos circularéis circularán
conditional circularía circularías circularía circularíamos circularíais circularían
subjunctive yo tú
vos 		él/ella/ello
usted 		nosotros
nosotras 		vosotros
vosotras 		ellos/ellas
ustedes
present circule circulestú
circulésvos2 		circule circulemos circuléis circulen
imperfect
(ra) 		circulara circularas circulara circuláramos circularais circularan
imperfect
(se) 		circulase circulases circulase circulásemos circulaseis circulasen
future1 circulare circulares circulare circuláremos circulareis circularen
imperative — tú
vos 		usted nosotros
nosotras 		vosotros
vosotras 		ustedes
affirmative circulatú
circulávos 		circule circulemos circulad circulen
negative no circules no circule no circulemos no circuléis no circulen

1Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
2Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of circular

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

singular plural
1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
with infinitive circular
dative circularme circularte circularle, circularse circularnos circularos circularles, circularse
accusative circularme circularte circularlo, circularla, circularse circularnos circularos circularlos, circularlas, circularse
with gerund circulando
dative circulándome circulándote circulándole, circulándose circulándonos circulándoos circulándoles, circulándose
accusative circulándome circulándote circulándolo, circulándola, circulándose circulándonos circulándoos circulándolos, circulándolas, circulándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative circula
dative circúlame circúlate circúlale circúlanos not used circúlales
accusative circúlame circúlate circúlalo, circúlala circúlanos not used circúlalos, circúlalas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative circulá
dative circulame circulate circulale circulanos not used circulales
accusative circulame circulate circulalo, circulala circulanos not used circulalos, circulalas
with formal second-person singular imperative circule
dative circúleme not used circúlele, circúlese circúlenos not used circúleles
accusative circúleme not used circúlelo, circúlela, circúlese circúlenos not used circúlelos, circúlelas
with first-person plural imperative circulemos
dative not used circulémoste circulémosle circulémonos circulémoos circulémosles
accusative not used circulémoste circulémoslo, circulémosla circulémonos circulémoos circulémoslos, circulémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative circulad
dative circuladme not used circuladle circuladnos circulaos circuladles
accusative circuladme not used circuladlo, circuladla circuladnos circulaos circuladlos, circuladlas
with formal second-person plural imperative circulen
dative circúlenme not used circúlenle circúlennos not used circúlenles, circúlense
accusative circúlenme not used circúlenlo, circúlenla circúlennos not used circúlenlos, circúlenlas, circúlense
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References

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  1. ^ “cerchar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28

Further reading

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