【PTE词汇】口语，写作，日常生活都必备！circum-词根词汇

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circumference  圆周；周长

英文释义：the size of something as given by the distance around it

e.g. That’s almost 10 times the circumference of the Earth, which is a surprisingly small 24,859.82 miles. – BBC (Dec 1, 2014)

词根详解：circum (around) + ferre (to carry) + ence (suffix forming abstract nouns) 

Latin had the verb “circumferre” which meant “to carry around, lead around, take around.” While the meaning of “ferre” carried over into other English words (transfer/transference, infer/inference), it no longer connects to “circumference” (pi times diameter), which only has a noun form that is focused on size rather than action.

circumspect 细心的

英文释义：heedful of potential consequences

e.g. The second penguin seemed more circumspect, pausing at length to examine the unfamiliar terrain. – The New Yorker (Mar 12, 2015)

词根详解：circum (around) + specere (to look) 

Do not confuse this with the adjective “suspect.” Something that is suspect might seem untrustworthy or wrong, but this is a feeling that is not always based on facts. Someone who is circumspect is careful, and this approach is usually based on previous knowledge. The definition of the noun “circumspection” is “knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress.”

circumvent  绕行

英文释义：avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing

e.g. You really can circumvent the automated application and reach out to your hiring manager. – Forbes (Aug 3, 2015)

词根详解：circum (around) + venire (to come) 

In military usage, the verb connects directly to its roots: a circumventing army can force its enemy to give up, not by avoiding it, but by completely surrounding it. In the example sentence, the verb is figuratively used to describe going around something. This type of circumvention sometimes suggests a sense of doing wrong by not doing something required; but if done well, it can also be seen as a victory achieved through cleverness and wit.

circumstance 环境

英文释义：a condition that accompanies some event or activity

e.g. All new human beings arrive vulnerable to circumstances over which they had no influence, but which, in turn, have enormous influence on them. – New York Times (Oct 14, 2015)

词根详解：circum (around) + stare (to stand) 

This general meaning of the word is not part of the pomp and circumstance you might hear and see at a graduation (that is an outdated usage that means “formal ceremony about important occasions”). The addition of the “s” indicates more than one condition, which differs from these definitions of “circumstances”: “one’s overall condition in life” and “a person’s financial situation.”

circumstantial 依照情况的

英文释义：suggesting that something is true without proving it

e.g. “It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence.” – Los Angeles Times (May 12, 2015)

词根详解：circum (around) + stare (to stand) + al (suffix forming adjectives) 

Another definition is “including the details of a specific event or situation.” This sounds like the opposite of the chosen definition. But when considered separately from the whole situation, details are small facts that might have some truth but would not be enough to prove that something is beyond a reasonable doubt. To convict or convince, conclusive evidence is required.

circumlocution 婉转曲折的说法

英文释义：an indirect way of expressing something

e.g. We encourage candor to the point of tactlessness: No circumlocution, no fancy rhetoric, no beating around the bush. – Forbes (Mar 29, 2013)

词根详解：circum (around) + loqui (to speak) + ion (suffix forming nouns) 

To make the point with more synonymous repetition, these words could be added: No periphrasis, no euphemisms. The list mostly describes roundabout ways of talking often used to avoid hurt feelings (rhetoric is fancy language often used to impress, persuade, or confuse). Lumped negatively together, they emphasize a company’s value of straightforward honesty (candor) over sensitivity.

circumscribe 限制

英文释义：restrict or confine

e.g. Here lies a paradox of the road trip: It is a venture into the open frontier, circumscribed by the narrow confines of an automobile. – New York Times (Sep 15, 2014)

词根详解：circum (around) + scribere (to write) 

The example sentence suggests that a road trip is a wild adventure into the unknown. For a less paradoxical road trip, one could first take a map, literally circumscribe it (draw a circle or line around specific points), and follow the planned routes within the circumscribed space of a car..

circumflex 抑扬符号

英文释义：a diacritical mark (^) placed above a vowel in some languages to indicate a special phonetic quality

 e.g. Exclamations often have a circumflex inflection, as “Really!” spoken in a sarcastic tone; that is, the pitch rises and falls. – Baum, Paull Franklin

词根详解：circum (around) + flectere (to bend) 

The word used to be a verb to describe how a charioteer turns his carriage and horses around. The chosen definition is for a noun, but as the example sentence shows, “circumflex” is most often used as an adjective. When not describing a manner of speaking, it describes body parts, such as the circumflex scapular artery in the shoulder or the circumflex femoral vein of the hip and thigh.

circumnavigate 环航

英文释义：travel around, either by plane or ship

e.g. By 1522, Magellan’s expedition had successfully circumnavigated the globe, and Spanish colonies were sprouting across the Americas — Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Panama, Mexico. – Washington Post

词根详解：circum (around) + navis (ship) + agere (to drive) 

As the roots, definition, and example sentence show, circumnavigation usually involves a vehicle and its route usually covers the entire world. But the word can also generally refer to the act of going around something rather than through it (unlike circumvention, this is often seen as going around goal-blocking obstacles rather than avoiding something that is required).

circumambulate 绕行

英文释义：walk around something

e.g. In the evening, hundreds of pilgrims circumambulate the stupa or meditate quietly in its shadows. – Wall Street Journal (May 26, 2010)

词根详解：circum (around) + ambi (around) + ulare (to go) 

Because a person who circumambulates is usually on foot, the route is likely to be much shorter than one for a circumnavigator. In the example sentence, the pilgrims are deliberately circumambulating a religious shrine. This sense of purpose and direction differentiates the action from wandering.

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