Etymograph

English

circinate

Circinate comes from Latin circinō ‘to make round’, from circinus ‘pair of compasses’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to cut off, sever’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκος1kírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircus1‘a circular line or orbit’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircinus1‘pair of compasses’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircinō2‘to make round’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircinatus2past participle of circinō
  7. Englishtodaycircinate2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin circino
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English circinate

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Latin circino‘to cut off, sever’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκοςWiktionary, Latin circinokírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircusWiktionary, Latin circino‘a circular line or orbit’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircinusWiktionary, Latin circino‘pair of compasses’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircinōWiktionary, English circinate‘to make round’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircinatusWiktionary, English circinatepast participle of circinō
  7. EnglishtodaycircinateWiktionary, English circinate

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’

short, across, share, card, cross, cancer, screen, score, shirt, curve, crucial, scare, carnival, curb, scar, skirt, crest, cancellation, scrutiny, shrine, shear, scorpion, shred, coronary, corona, raffle, corolla, scorn, carnage, shrewd, crux, shard, incarceration, riddance, crepe, carnivorous, corgi, carnal, ruck, shrew, 110 more

through Latin circus ‘a circular line or orbit’

circle, circuit, circulation, circus, circa, cirque, circulate, circulatory, 13 more

Today it means

adj Of a leaf or similar part: coiled on itself from the apex toward the base.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “circinate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin circino. 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- / circinate

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