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(r)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

• media circus

Related terms

• circular
• circle

Translations

company that travels

Arabic: سيرك (ar) (sirk) m. Armenian: կրկես (hy) (krkes) Belarusian: цырк (be) (cyrk) m., цырк (be) (cyrk) m. Bulgarian: цирк (bg) m. Catalan: circ (ca) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 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) Finnish: sirkus (fi) French: cirque (fr) m. German: Zirkus (de) m. Greek: τσίρκο (el) (tsírco) n.

Hebrew: קרקס (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) Persian: سیرک (fa) (sirk) Polish: cyrk (pl) m. Portuguese: circo (pt) Romanian: circ (ro) n. Russian: цирк (ru) (cirk) m. Sardinian: circu, tzircu Spanish: circo (es) m. Ukrainian: цирк (uk) (cyrk) m. Volapük: sirkud (vo)

round open space

Bulgarian: кръгъл площад (bg) m. Finnish: aukio (fi) Italian: circo (it) m.

Polish: cyrk (pl) m. Portuguese: cruzamento (pt) Russian: круглая площадь (ru) (krúglaja plóščad') 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

English: circus French: cirque Italian: circo, cerco

Portuguese: circo Romanian: cerc Russian: цирк (cirk) Spanish: circo, cerco