Etymology

encircle

E1N1C3I1R1C3L1E1

Today it means: To surround, form a circle around. Full definition →

English circle ← Middle English circle ← Old French cercle
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Old Frenchen-
  6. Middle Englishen-
  7. Englishen-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-
  9. Ancient Greekκίρκος (kírkos)
  10. Latincircus
  11. Latincirculus
  12. Old Frenchcercle
  13. Middle Englishcircle
  14. Englishcircle
  15. English todayencircle

From en- + circle.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.