Prefix · around / surrounding
Signals around or surrounding something: circumference, circumstance, circumnavigate, circumspect.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Circum- comes from Latin "circum" (around, surrounding) and signals that something surrounds, encircles, or moves around something else: circumference = the measurement around a circle; circumstance = what "surrounds" or stands around a situation; circumnavigate = sail around (a continent or the globe); circumspect = looking around with care before acting; circumflex = an accent that curves around a letter (â, ê, î).
Circum- appears in advanced literary, legal, and scientific vocabulary: circumlocution = talking around a subject without saying it directly (a form of evasion or euphemism); circumvent = find a way around an obstacle or rule; circumscribe = draw a line around something to limit it; circumambulate = walk around something (in religious rituals, for example). It is a prefix of formal and literary register.
Attaches to nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Spanish equivalent is "circun-":
Pronunciation: /ˈsɜːrkəm/. Spanish equivalent is "circun-" (circunferencia, circunstancia, circunnavegar). English uses "circum-" unchanged.
circum-/ˈsɜːrkəm/
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"Circumstance" (from Latin "circum" = around + "stare" = to stand) = literally "what stands around" a situation. It is used broadly: under the circumstances (given the situation), the circumstances of his birth (the conditions of his birth), suspicious circumstances (suspicious surrounding factors). It is not limited to criminal contexts.
"Circumvent" is rarely used in a literal physical sense. It typically means to "go around" laws, regulations, controls, or obstacles: "to circumvent the law," "to circumvent security measures." It carries a connotation of cleverness or possible dishonesty.
A trick to remember it
Circum- = "around" or "surrounding": circumference = the line around the circle, circumstance = what stands around a situation, circumnavigate = sail around, circumspect = looking around carefully before acting. Spanish: "circun-" (circunferencia, circunstancia). A formal and literary prefix.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The minister's speech was full of ___, saying much without ever addressing the actual question posed."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What does "circumvent" mean in English?
The prefix circum- signals around or surrounding something: circumference, circumstance, circumnavigate, circumspect. In Spanish it usually maps to circun- / circum-.
The prefix circum- is pronounced /ˈsɜːrkəm/. For example, "circumference".
"ference" becomes "circumference". It is a typical example of the circum- prefix.
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