Etymograph

English

circumcursation

Circumcursation comes from Latin circumcursō ‘to run about’, from circus ‘a circular line or orbit’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to bend’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to bend’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκος2kírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircus2‘a circular line or orbit’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcursō2‘to run around’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircumcursō3as circumcursare‘to run about’
  6. Englishtodaycircumcursation3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κίρκος
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin circumcurso
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English circumcursation

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κίρκος‘to bend’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκίρκοςWiktionary, Latin circumcursokírkos‘circle or ring’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircusWiktionary, Latin circumcurso‘a circular line or orbit’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcursōWiktionary, Latin circumcurso‘to run around’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircumcursōWiktionary, English circumcursationas circumcursare‘to run about’
  6. EnglishtodaycircumcursationWiktionary, English circumcursation

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to bend’

short, across, share, card, cross, cancer, screen, score, shirt, crucial, scare, carnival, curve, skirt, scar, shrine, crest, scrutiny, curb, shear, cancellation, shred, carnage, coronary, corona, raffle, corolla, scorpion, scorn, shrewd, crux, shard, carnal, carcinoma, riddance, incarceration, crepe, carnivorous, corgi, ruck, 112 more

through Latin circus ‘a circular line or orbit’

circle, circa, circulation, cirque, circulate, circulatory, 15 more

Today it means

noun The act of running or rambling around.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “circumcursation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek κίρκος, Latin circumcurso. 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- / circumcursation

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