English → Latin
“circle” in Latin
circuluscircle (geometric figure); orbit (circular path); ring; hoopcircusa circular line or orbit; circle, ring; a racecourse or space where games are held, especially one that is round; the sporbiscircle, ring; of things that return at a certain period of time, a rotation, round, circuit; an orb (sphere)convīviumbanquet, party, feastcorōnachaplet, laurel, or wreath; presented to athletes, the gods, or the dead; crown; garlandpāgusdistrict, canton, region; countryside (rural area outside of a city); countryfolk, rural communitycircinōto round, make round; to fly through in a circular pathvirgulaa small rod, stick, wand, or staff; the slash mark ⟨/⟩, particularly in its medieval use as a scratch comma; tender shoocircumstōto stand around, to surround or encircle, to occupy, to take possession of; to encompass, to beset, to occupy, to take, circumsedeōto sit around, surround, encompass; to besiege, blockade, beset, invest, surround, encompass
The English word circle itself goes back to Latin circus, through circulus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
circle
circulus: circus (of a greater extent, but doubtful in this meaning, since in Cic., N.D., 2, 18, 47, and De Rep., 6, 15, 15, the manuscripts vary between circus and circulus): orbis (with regard to circumference as terminating in itself). To describe a circle, circulum describere (circino); circinationem describere; ducere rotundam circinationem: to describe a circle round anybody or anything, circumscribere aliquid or aliquem (with a compass, a staff, etc., circino, virga or virgula): circulo aliquid or aliquem includere (to inclose anybody or anything in a circle within which one is to remain): to form a circle, orbem colligere: in orbem consistere (both of soldiers, for the sake of better defending themselves; also in orbem, i. e., orbe collecto, se tutari): to form a circle round anybody (e.g., of auditors), corona aliquem cingere: to fight in (the form of) a circle, in orbem pugnare: to argue in a circle, *eodem revolvi: iufirma ratione uti, quae videtur pro ratione afferri, sed idem dicit, quod in expositione dictum est (after Auct. ad Herenn). A vicious circle (in argument). *demonstratio eodem se revolvens (☞ Auct. ad Her., 2, 18, 27).
Social assembly, circulus (i. e., a meeting for entertainment): convivium (party). (The words are found in this connection and order), in circulis et conviviis: congressio familiarium (circle of friends): corona [Vid: above].
Circuit, Vid:
To reason in a circle, eodem revolvi (after Cic., Divin., 2, 5).
District, pagus.
circle v.
circumdare alicui rei aliquid or rem aliqua re: cingere aliqua re: circumstare (stand round): circumsedere (sit round): circumsistere (place one’s self round with accessory notions of oppressing): circumcludere.
To move round in a circle, circumire (go round): circumvolare: circumvolitare (fly round, of birds and persons).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for circle?
- The usual Latin words for “circle” are circulus, circus, orbis; also convīvium, corōna, pāgus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.