Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

circum- [from Latin]

 (preposition)

around

circumference

circumlocution [literally, ‘spoken around;’ a roundabout way of saying something that could be said more directly and briefly; periphrasis.]

to circumnavigate [literally, ‘to sail around;’ to travel completely around something, such as the earth.]

to circumscribe [literally, ‘to write around;’ to draw a line around; to limit closely or to restrict.]

circumspect [literally, ‘looking around;’ paying close attention to all circumstances and consequences; skillfully prudent.]

to circumvent

circumference (noun) [literally, ‘bearing around;’ the line which bounds and defines a circle; periphery.]

to circumvent (verb) [literally, ‘to come around;’ to go around or to bypass something (for the purpose of avoiding or evading it).]

peri- [from Greek]

(preposition)

around, about

perigee [literally, ‘around the earth;’ the point in the orbit of a satellite which is closest to the center of the earth or of any other body being orbited.]

perimeter [literally, ‘a measure around;’ the bounding line of a plane surface or figure.]

periodontal [literally, ‘around the tooth;’ relating to the area surrounding a tooth.]

peripeteia

periphrasis

periscope [literally, ‘looking around;’ an optical device for observing things from a position which is not in a direct line with the things to be observed.]

peripeteia (noun) [literally, ‘falling around;’ a sudden reversal of circumstances, especially in a work of literature.]

periphrasis (noun) [literally, ‘asserted around;’ a roundabout way of saying something that could be said more directly and briefly; circumlocution.]