English → Latin
“surround” in Latin
circumstōto 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, encompasscircumsistōto stand or gather around; to surround or besetcircumclūdōto surround or encircle; to hedge or shut incircumvāllōto surround with a wall; to blockade or besiege; to besetcingōto surround, circle, ring, encircle; to gird on; to crown or garlandcircummūniōto wall up or around; to hem in; to fortify or secure
The English word surround itself goes back to Latin unda, through superundō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
surround
circumdare alicui rei aliquid or rem aliqua re: cingere aliqua re: circumstare (stand round): circumsedere (sit round): circumsistere (place one’s self round, with accessary notion of oppressing): circumcludere. To surround a besieged city, circumvallare (surround with palisades); vallo et fossa munire or cingere; circummunire; munitione sepire (with works generally); stipare (to surround in masses); sepire or circumsepire (with a hedge or other defence). Carthage is quite surrounded with ports, Carthago succincta est portubus: to surround with walls, moenibus cingere; muris sepire.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for surround?
- The usual Latin words for “surround” are circumstō, circumsedeō, circumsistō; also circumclūdō, circumvāllō, cingō. 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.