Meanings
proper noun
- astronomyA small constellation of the southern winter sky, said to resemble a compass. It lies between the constellations of Centaurus and Triangulum Australe.
Origin
- Latincircinus“a pair of compasses”
- EnglishCircinus
Named by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1763. From Latin circinus (“a pair of compasses”)
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 圓規座 /圆规座
- 圓規座 /圆规座 (Yuánguīzuò)a small constellation of the southern winter sky
Esperanto Cirkelo
- Cirkeloa small constellation of the southern winter sky
Finnish Harppi
- Harppia small constellation of the southern winter sky
French Compas
- Compasa small constellation of the southern winter sky
German Zirkel
- Zirkela small constellation of the southern winter sky
Hindi परकार तारामंडल
- परकार तारामंडल (parkār tārāmaṇḍal)a small constellation of the southern winter sky
Irish an Compás
- an Compása small constellation of the southern winter sky
Japanese コンパス座
- コンパス座 (Konpasu-za)a small constellation of the southern winter sky
Korean 컴퍼스자리
- 컴퍼스자리 (Keompeoseujari)a small constellation of the southern winter sky
Malay Kompas
- Kompasa small constellation of the southern winter sky
Polish Cyrkiel
- Cyrkiela small constellation of the southern winter sky
Russian Ци́ркуль
- Ци́ркуль (Církulʹ)a small constellation of the southern winter sky
Spanish Circinus
- Circinusa small constellation of the southern winter sky
Cite this entry
APA
Circinus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Circinus
MLA
“Circinus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Circinus. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Circinus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Circinus.
Source: Circinus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.