circumvent

English

Alternative forms

• circumvene

Etymology

Etymology tree

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

Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos)bor.

Latin circus

Latin circum

Latin circum-

Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *gʷm̥yéti

Proto-Italic *gʷənjō

Latin veniō

Latin circumveniōlbor.

English circumvent

Learned borrowing from Latin circumveniō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səːkəmˈvɛnt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Verb

circumvent (third-person singular simple present circumvents, present participle circumventing, simple past and past participle circumvented)

1. (transitive) to avoid or get around something; to bypass
   • 1950 April, Timothy H. Cobb, “The Kenya-Uganda Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 265:

     The line turns a sharp right-angle to the north to circumvent the town, and then plunges straight into the 1 in 50, which lasts for nearly 20 miles with few intermissions, and some pitches of 1 in 40.

2. (transitive) to surround or besiege
3. (transitive) to outwit or outsmart
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 279–280:

     We are mortified by not being thought worthy of trust; and there is also a feeling of small triumph in circumventing those who doubt either our inclination or our power of service.

Derived terms

• circumventable
• circumvental
• circumventer
• circumvential
• circumventingly
• circumvention
• circumventive
• circumventor

Related terms

• circumvention
• circumventive

Translations

to avoid or get around something

• Bulgarian: заобика́лям (bg) impf (zaobikáljam), заобиколя́ pf (zaobikoljá)
• Catalan: evitar (ca), circumvalar
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 規避 / 规避 (zh) (guībì)

• Danish: omgå
• Dutch: omzeilen (nl)
• French: contourner (fr)
• Georgian: გვერდის ავლა (gverdis avla), გარს შემოვლა (gars šemovla)
• German: umgehen (de)
• Italian: eludere (it), circonvenire (it)
• Māori: honi, hohoni, taku
• Portuguese: contornar (pt)
• Romanian: înconjura (ro), ocoli (ro), conturna
• Russian: обходи́ть (ru) impf (obxodítʹ), обойти́ (ru) pf (obojtí)
• Spanish: evitar (es), eludir (es), baipasear, circunvalar (es), obviar (es), soslayar (es), contornear (es), contornar (es)
• Swedish: kringgå (sv)
• Ukrainian: обійти (obijty)

to surround or besiege

• Catalan: rodejar (ca), bordejar (ca), circumvalar, contornejar (ca)
• Danish: omringe
• French: cerner (fr)
• German: umlagern (de)
• Irish: timpeallaigh
• Italian: circondare (it)
• Portuguese: rodear (pt), cercar (pt)
• Russian: обойти́ (ru) (obojtí)
• Spanish: rodear (es), bordear (es), circunvalar (es)

to outwit

• Bulgarian: надхитрявам (nadhitrjavam), изигравам (bg) (izigravam)
• Catalan: burlar (ca) (no en el sentit de mofar (ca))
• French: circonvenir (fr)
• Georgian: მოტყუება (moṭq̇ueba)
• German: ausmanövrieren (de)
• Russian: обойти́ (ru) (obojtí)
• Spanish: circunvenir (es) (disused), sortear (es), burlar (es), iludir (es)
• Ukrainian: перехитрити (perexytryty), обійти (закон) (obijty (zakon))