circumambulate

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.

Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos)bor.

Latin circus

Latin circum

Latin circum-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent-

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts?

Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰíder.

Proto-Italic *amβi-

Latin ambi-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂elh₂-der.

Proto-Italic *alō

Latin *alō

Latin ambulō

Latin circumambulō

Latin circumambulātusubor.

English circumambulate

Latin circumambulātus, past participle of circumambulāre (“to walk around”). Equivalent to circum- +‎ ambulate.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌsɝ.kəmˈæm.bju.leɪt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /səː.kəmˈam.bjuː.leɪt/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cir‧cum‧am‧bu‧late

Verb

circumambulate (third-person singular simple present circumambulates, present participle circumambulating, simple past and past participle circumambulated)

1. (transitive) To walk around something in a circle, especially for a ritual purpose.

   Hypernym: encircle

   Coordinate terms: circumnavigate, circumaviate, circumscribe, circumtread

   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 1:

     Circumambulate the city of a dreamy Sabbath afternoon.

Related terms

• circumambulation
• circumambulator
• circumambulatory
• deambulate
• funambulate
• perambulate
• preambulate
• reambulate
• somnambulate

Translations

to walk around

• Arabic: طَافَ (ṭāfa)
• Finnish: kävellä ympäri, kiertää (fi)
• Hungarian: körbejár (hu)
• Māori: porowhawhe

Latin

Verb

circumambulāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of circumambulō