circular

English Online Dictionary. What means circular‎? What does circular mean?

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜː.kjə.lə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝ.kjə.lɚ/
• Hyphenation: cir‧cu‧lar

Adjective

circular (comparative more circular, superlative most circular)

1. Of or relating to a circle.
2. In the shape of, or moving in a circle.
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
5. Distributed to a large number of persons.
6. (obsolete) Perfect; complete.
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

• ringlike
• ring-shaped
• round-like

Hyponyms

• semicircular

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

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

See also

• advertisement
• booklet
• brochure
• catalogue, catalog
• flier, flyer
• handbill, hand bill
• junk mail
• leaflet
• pamphlet

Verb

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

1. To distribute circulars to or at.
2. To extend in a circular direction.

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin circulāris, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

circular (epicene, plural circulares)

1. circular

Related terms

• círculu

Verb

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

1. to circle

Conjugation

Related terms

• círculu

Catalan

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin circulāris, from Latin circulus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [sir.kuˈlar]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [sir.kuˈla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [siɾ.kuˈlaɾ]

Adjective

circular m or f (masculine and feminine plural circulars)

1. circular

Noun

circular f (plural circulars)

1. circular

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [sir.kuˈla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [siɾ.kuˈlaɾ]

Verb

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

1. to circulate
2. to move, to travel

Conjugation

Related terms

• cercle

Further reading

• “circular”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
• “circular”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “circular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “circular” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

circular m or f (plural circulares)

1. (geometry) circular

Related terms

• círculo

Portuguese

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: cir‧cu‧lar

Adjective

circular m or f (plural circulares)

1. circular; round

   Synonyms: redondo, rotundo

2. (Brazil) running in a loop

3. (rhetoric, lexicography) circular (referring back to itself)

4. circular (distributed to a large number of people)

Noun

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

circular m (plural circulares)

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

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: cir‧cu‧lar

Verb

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

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French circulaire.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃirkuˈlar/

Adjective

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

1. circular

Declension

Related terms

• cerc

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin circulāris, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

circular m or f (masculine and feminine plural circulares)

1. circular

Derived terms

Noun

circular f (plural circulares)

1. flyer, circular (advertisement)

Etymology 2

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

Verb

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

Related terms

References

Further reading

• “circular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10