English
circulate
Circulate comes from Late Latin circulātus ‘rounded’, from circulō ‘to make circular, encircle’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to cut off, sever’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκος1kírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircus1‘a circular line or orbit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcirculus1‘circle’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcirculō2‘to make circular, encircle’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcirculātus2‘rounded’perfect passive participle of circulō
- Englishearliest quotation 2025circulate2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin circulo
- 2 Wiktionary, English circulate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2025, Peter Stanford, Pope Francis obituary: “In both the 2005 and 2013 papal elections there…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Latin circulo‘to cut off, sever’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκοςWiktionary, Latin circulokírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircusWiktionary, Latin circulo‘a circular line or orbit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcirculusWiktionary, Latin circulo‘circle’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcirculōWiktionary, English circulate‘to make circular, encircle’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcirculātusWiktionary, English circulate‘rounded’perfect passive participle of circulō
- Englishearliest quotation 2025circulateWiktionary, English circulate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2025, Peter Stanford, Pope Francis obituary: “In both the 2005 and 2013 papal elections there…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’
short, across, share, card, cross, cancer, screen, score, shirt, crucial, scare, curve, carnival, scar, skirt, scrutiny, shrine, crest, curb, cancellation, corona, shear, scorpion, shred, carnage, raffle, scorn, incarceration, shrewd, crux, shard, corolla, carnal, riddance, crepe, carcinoma, carnivorous, corgi, ruck, shrew, 115 more
through Latin circus ‘a circular line or orbit’
through Latin circulus ‘circle’
Today it means
verb To move in circles or through a circuit.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “circulate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin circulo. 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- / circulate