English
circensian
Circensian comes from Latin circēnsis ‘circus’, from Ancient Greek κίρκος ‘circle or ring’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to bend’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to bend’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκος2kírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircus2‘a circular line or orbit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircēnsis3‘circus’
- Englishtodaycircensian3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κίρκος
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin circensis
- 3 Wiktionary, English circensian
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κίρκος‘to bend’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκοςWiktionary, Latin circensiskírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircusWiktionary, Latin circensis‘a circular line or orbit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircēnsisWiktionary, English circensian‘circus’
- EnglishtodaycircensianWiktionary, English circensian
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to bend’
short, across, share, card, cross, score, screen, cancer, shirt, curve, scare, crucial, carnival, curb, skirt, scar, scrutiny, shrine, crest, cancellation, corona, shear, scorpion, shred, carnage, raffle, corolla, incarceration, scorn, shrewd, crux, shard, carnal, crepe, carcinoma, carnivorous, corgi, ruck, shrew, scurvy, 110 more
through Latin circus ‘a circular line or orbit’
circle, circuit, circulation, circus, circa, circulate, cirque, circulatory, 13 more
Today it means
adj —
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “circensian”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek κίρκος, Latin circensis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / circensian