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cir·cu·late

(sûrkyə-lāt′)

v. cir·cu·lat·ed, cir·cu·lat·ing, cir·cu·lates

v.intr.

1. To move in or flow through a circle or circuit: blood circulating through the body.

2. To move around, as from person to person or place to place: a guest circulating at a party.

3. To move about or flow freely, as air.

4. To spread widely among persons or places; disseminate: Gossip tends to circulate quickly.

v.tr.

To cause to move about or be distributed: Please circulate these fliers.

[From Middle English circulat, continuously distilled, from Latin circulātus, past participle of circulāre, to make circular, from circulus, circle; see CIRCLE.]

circu·la′tive (-lā′tĭv) adj.

circu·la′tor n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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