Etymology

circumambulate

cir·cum·am·bu·late
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Today it means: To walk around something in a circle, especially for a ritual purpose. Full definition →

Latin circumambulātus ← Proto-Italic *alō ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂elh₂-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-
  2. Ancient Greekκίρκος (kírkos)
  3. Latincircus
  4. Latincircum
  5. Latincircum-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂m̥bʰí
  9. Proto-Italic*amβi-
  10. Latinambi-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*h₂elh₂-
  12. Proto-Italic*alō
  13. Latin*alō
  14. Latinambulō
  15. Latincircumambulō
  16. Latincircumambulātus
  17. English todaycircumambulate

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.