roundabout

Wikipedia

English

WOTD – 4 April 2012    

Etymology

From round +‎ about.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹaʊndəˌbaʊt/

Adjective

roundabout (comparative more roundabout, superlative most roundabout)

1. Indirect, circuitous or circumlocutionary; that does not do something in a direct way.

   using roundabout speech instead of getting to the point

   • Burke

     We have taken a terrible roundabout road.

   • 1953, Ludwig Von Mises, The Theory of Money and Credit, ISBN 978-1-933550-55-8, page 361:

     It is true that longer roundabout processes of production may yield an absolutely greater return than shorter processes.

2. Encircling; enveloping; comprehensive.
   • John Locke

     Large, sound, roundabout sense.

Derived terms

• roundaboutly

Translations

circuitous

• Czech: nepřímý (cs)
• Finnish: kiertelevä (fi)
• Icelandic: óbeinn (is) m, með vífilengjur (is) f pl, krókóttur (is) m, króka- (is), ekki beinn (is) m

• Macedonian: обиколен (mk) (obíkolen)
• Maori: takawhawhe (mi)
• Polish: okrężny (pl)
• Russian: непрямой (ru) (neprjamoj), окольный (ru) (okolʹnyj), окружной (ru) (okružnoj), кружный (ru) (kružnyj), обходной (ru) (obxodnoj), окольный (ru) (okolʹnyj)

Noun

roundabout (plural roundabouts)

1. (chiefly UK, New Zealand and Australia) A road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island
2. (chiefly UK) A children's play apparatus, often found in parks, which rotates around a central axis when pushed.
3. A fairground carousel.
4. A detour
5. A short, close-fitting coat or jacket worn by men or boys, especially in the 19th century.

Derived terms

• mini-roundabout

Synonyms

• (road junction): traffic circle
• (road junction): rotary

Translations

road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island

• Catalan: rotonda (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 環形交叉 (cmn), 环形交叉 (cmn) (huánxíng jiāochā)

• Czech: kruhový objezd (cs) m
• Danish: rundkørsel
• Dutch: rotonde (nl) f
• Esperanto: rondoplaco (eo)
• Finnish: liikenneympyrä (fi), kiertoliittymä (fi)
• French: rond-point (fr) m
• German: Kreisverkehr (de) m
• Icelandic: hringtorg (is) n, umferðarhringur (is) m
• Irish: compal (ga) m, timpeallán (ga) m

• Italian: rotatoria (it) f
• Japanese: ラウンドアバウト (ja) (raundoabauto)
• Macedonian: кружен тек (mk) (krúžen tek) m pl
• Malay: bulatan (ms), bundaran (ms)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: rundkjøring (nb) m and f

  Nynorsk: rundkøyring (nn) f

• Polish: rondo (pl) n
• Portuguese: rotatória (, Brazil), rotunda (Portugal)
• Russian: круговой перекрёсток (ru) (krugovój perekrjóstok) m
• Serbian: krugotok m
• Serbo-Croatian: kružni tok (sh), kružno raskršće (sh)
• Slovene: krožišče (sl) n, rondo (sl) m
• Spanish: glorieta f, redoma f (Venezuela), rotonda (es) f
• Swedish: rondell (sv)

children's play apparatus which rotates around a central axis when pushed

• Catalan: carrussel (ca) m, cavallets (ca) m pl
• Dutch: draaimolen (nl) m
• Finnish: karuselli (fi)
• French: tourniquet (fr) m
• German: Karussell (de) n

• Icelandic: hringekja (is) f
• Irish: timpeallán spraoi (ga) m
• Macedonian: вртелешка (mk) (vrtéleška) f
• Polish: karuzela (pl) f
• Russian: карусель (ru) (karusélʹ) f
• Spanish: tiovivo (es) m

fairground carousel

• Catalan: carrussel (ca) m, cavallets (ca) m pl
• Danish: karrusel (da)
• Dutch: draaimolen (nl) m
• Finnish: karuselli (fi)
• French: manège (fr) m
• German: Karussell (de) n

• Irish: timpeallán spraoi (ga) m
• Macedonian: вртелешка (mk) (vrtéleška) f, рингишпил (mk) (ríngišpil) m
• Russian: карусель (ru) (karusélʹ) f
• Slovene: vrtiljak (sl) m
• Swedish: karusell (sv)
• Volapük: karusäl (vo)

detour

• Danish: omkørsel (da)
• Dutch: omweg (nl) m, omleiding (nl) f
• Finnish: kiertotie (fi)
• German: Umleitung (de) f

• Icelandic: krókaleið (is) f, krókvegur (is) m
• Macedonian: заобиколување (mk) (zaobikolúvanje) n
• Russian: объезд (ru) (obʺjézd) m
• Slovene: obvoz (sl) m
• Spanish: desvío (es) m

See also

• swings and roundabouts