circumnavigate

English

WOTD – 27 January 2009

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin circumnāvigātus, perfect passive participle of circumnāvigō (“sail round something, circumnavigate”), from circum (“about, around”) + nāvigō (“sail, navigate”), from nāvis (“ship”) + agō (“do”). Surface analysis: circum- +‎ navigate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌsə.kəmˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/
• IPA^(key): /ˌsɝ.kəmˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (AU):

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Verb

circumnavigate (third-person singular simple present circumnavigat, present participle ing, simple past and past participle circumnavigated)

1. (transitive) To travel completely around somewhere or something, especially by sail.

   We circumnavigated the Mediterranean.

2. (transitive) To circumvent or bypass.
3. (intransitive, sailing) To sail around the world.
   • 1992, Richard Henderson, Singlehanded Sailing‎^[1], →ISBN, page 225:

     Patrick Childress, who solo circumnavigated on a Catalina 27 in 1982, stresses the value of eggs, which will keep at least six weeks if previously unrefrigerated and oiled with vegetable shortening.

   • 1997, Diana Jessie, The Cruising Woman's Advisor‎^[2], →ISBN, page 30:

     Jack and Lura Francis, both fairly tall, circumnavigated on a Westsail 32.

Synonyms

• (travel completely around): compass, go around, sail around
• (circumvent): circumvent, go round

Hypernyms

• navigate

Related terms

• circumnavigation
• circumnavigator
• navigate

Translations

to sail completely around something

• Catalan: circumnavegar (ca)
• Czech: obeplout
• Finnish: purjehtia jonkin ympäri
• French: circumnaviguer (fr)
• German: umschiffen (de), umsegeln (de)
• Italian: circumnavigare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: circumnāvigō
• Maori: taiāwhio
• Old English: ymblīþan
• Polish: opłynąć dookoła
• Scottish Gaelic: iom-sheòl
• Spanish: circunnavegar (es), bojar (es), bojear (es)

to circumvent or bypass

• Czech: obejít (cs)
• Finnish: kiertää (fi), ohittaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: umschiffen (de)

to sail around the world

• Finnish: purjehtia maailman ympäri
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: ^{(please verify)} die Welt umsegeln

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Italian

Verb

circumnavigate

1. second-person plural present indicative of circumnavigare
2. second-person plural imperative of circumnavigare
3. feminine plural of circumnavigato

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) circumnāvigāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of circumnāvigō