circus

See also Circus

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Latin circus (“ring, circle”), from Proto-Indo-European *sker, *ker (“to turn, to bend”) .

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)kəs

Noun

circus (plural circuses)

1. A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent.

   The circus will be in town next week.

2. A round open space in a town or city where multiple streets meet.

   Oxford Circus in London is at the north end of Regent Street.

3. (historical) In the ancient Roman Empire, a building for chariot racing.
4. (military, World War II) A code name for bomber attacks with fighter escorts in the day time. The attacks were against short-range targets with the intention of occupying enemy fighters and keeping their fighter units in the area concerned.
   • RAF Web - Air of Authority

     ... the squadron (No. 452) moved to Kenley in July 1941 and took part in the usual round of Circus, Rhubarb and Ramrod missions.

5. (obsolete) Circuit; space; enclosure.

   The narrow circus of my dungeon wall. — Byron.

Derived terms

Terms derived from circus

media circus

three-ring circus

Related terms

• circular
• circle

Translations

company that travels

• Arabic: سيرك (ar) (sīrk) m

  Egyptian Arabic: سرك (ar) (serk) m

• Armenian: կրկես (hy) (krkes)
• Asturian: circu (ast) m
• Azeri: sirk (az)
• Belarusian: цырк (be) (cyrk) m
• Bulgarian: цирк (bg) (cirk) m
• Catalan: circ (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬戲團 (cmn), 马戏团 (cmn) (mǎxìtuán), 馬戲場 (cmn), 马戏场 (cmn) (mǎxìchǎng), 雜技場 (cmn), 杂技场 (cmn) (zájìchǎng)

• Czech: cirkus (cs) m
• Danish: circus (da)
• Dutch: circus (nl) n
• Esperanto: cirko (eo)
• Estonian: tsirkus (et)
• Finnish: sirkus (fi)
• French: cirque (fr) m
• Galician: circo (gl) m
• Georgian: ცირკი (ka) (c'irki)
• German: Zirkus (de) m
• Greek: τσίρκο (el) (tsírko) n
• Hebrew: קרקס (he) (qirqas) m
• Hindi: सर्कस (hi) (sarkas)
• Hungarian: cirkusz (hu)

• Italian: circo (it) m
• Japanese: サーカス (ja) (sākasu), 曲馬団 (ja) (きょくばだん, kyokubadan)
• Korean: 서커스 (ko) (seokeoseu)
• Latvian: cirks (lv) m
• Lithuanian: cirkas (lt) m
• Macedonian: циркус (mk) (církus) m
• Malay: sarkas (ms)
• Occitan: circ (oc) m
• Persian: سیرک (fa) (sirk)
• Polish: cyrk (pl) m
• Portuguese: circo (pt)
• Romanian: circ (ro) n
• Russian: цирк (ru) (cirk) m
• Sardinian: circu, tzircu
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: циркус (sh) m

  Roman: cirkus (sh) m

• Slovak: cirkus (sk) m
• Slovene: cirkus (sl) m
• Spanish: circo (es) m
• Thai: ละครสัตว์ (th) (lá kon sàt)
• Turkish: sirk (tr)
• Ukrainian: цирк (uk) (cyrk) m
• Urdu: سرکس (ur) (sarkas)
• Vietnamese: xiếc (vi), xiệc (vi)
• Volapük: sirkud (vo)

round open space

• Bulgarian: кръгъл площад (bg) (krǎgǎl ploštad) m
• Finnish: aukio (fi)
• Italian: circo (it) m

• Malay: bulatan (ms)
• Polish: cyrk (pl) m
• Portuguese: cruzamento (pt)
• Russian: круглая площадь (ru) (krúglaja plóščadʹ) f

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Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κίρκος (kirkos, “circle, ring”), related with κρίκος (krikos, “ring”).

Noun

circus (genitive circī); m, second declension

1. A circular line or orbit; circle, ring.
2. A racecourse or space where games are held, especially one that is round.
3. The spectators in a circus; a circus.

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	circus	circī
genitive	circī	circōrum
dative	circō	circīs
accusative	circum	circōs
ablative	circō	circīs
vocative	circe	circī

Derived terms

• circō
• circulus

Descendants

Albanian: qark Catalan: circ English: circus French: cirque German: Circus, Zirkus Italian: circo, cerco

Occitan: cirque Portuguese: circo Romanian: cerc Russian: цирк (cirk) Sardinian: circu, tzircu Spanish: circo, cerco