CIRCULAR

circular, rotary, orbitual

(adjective) describing a circle; moving in a circle; “the circular motion of the wheel”

round, circular

(adjective) having the shape or form of a circle

circular, handbill, bill, broadside, broadsheet, flier, flyer, throwaway

(noun) an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution; “he mailed the circular to all subscribers”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

circular (comparative more circular, superlative most circular)

Of or relating to a circle.

In the shape of, or moving in a circle.

Circuitous or roundabout.

Referring back to itself, so as to prevent computation or comprehension; infinitely recursive.

Distributed to a large number of persons.

(obsolete) Perfect; complete.

(archaic) Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior.

Hyponyms

• semicircular

Noun

circular (plural circulars)

synonym of flyer: a printed advertisement, directive, or notice intended for mass circulation.

Short for circular letter.

(dated) A sleeveless cloak cut from a circular pattern.

A shuttle bus with a circular route.

Verb

circular (third-person singular simple present circulars, present participle circularing, simple past and past participle circulared)

To distribute circulars to or at.

To extend in a circular direction.

Source: Wiktionary


Cir"cu*lar, a. Etym: [L. circularis, fr. circulus circle: cf. F. circulaire. See Circle.]

1. In the form of, or bounded by, a circle; round.

2. repeating itself; ending in itself; reverting to the point of beginning; hence, illogical; inconclusive; as, circular reasoning.

3. Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior. See Cyclic poets, under Cyclic. Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido Dennis.

4. Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a common interest; circulated, or intended for circulation; as, a circular letter. A proclamation of Henry III., . . . doubtless circular throughout England. Hallam.

5. Perfect; complete. [Obs.] A man so absolute and circular In all those wished-for rarities that may take A virgin captive. Massinger. Circular are, any portion of the circumference of a circle.

– Circular cubics (Math.), curves of the third order which are imagined to pass through the two circular points at infinity.

– Circular functions. (Math.) See under Function.

– Circular instruments, mathematical instruments employed for measuring angles, in which the graduation extends round the whole circumference of a circle, or 360º.

– Circular lines, straight lines pertaining to the circle, as sines, tangents, secants, etc.

– Circular note or letter. (a) (Com.) See under Credit. (b) (Diplomacy) A letter addressed in identical terms to a number of persons.

– Circular numbers (Arith.), those whose powers terminate in the same digits as the roots themselves; as 5 and 6, whose squares are 25 and 36. Bailey. Barlow.

– Circular points at infinity (Geom.), two imaginary points at infinite distance through which every circle in the plane is, in the theory of curves, imagined to pass.

– Circular polarization. (Min.) See under Polarization.

– Circular or Globular sailing (Naut.), the method of sailing by the arc of a great circle.

– Circular saw. See under Saw.

Cir"cu*lar, n. Etym: [Cf. (for sense 1) F. circulaire, lettre circulaire. See Circular, a.]

1. A circular letter, or paper, usually printed, copies of which are addressed or given to various persons; as, a business circular.

2. A sleeveless cloak, cut in circular form.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 January 2025

DERMATOGLYPHICS

(noun) the study of the whorls and loops and arches in the fingertips and on the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet; “some criminologists specialize in dermatoglyphics”


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Coffee Trivia

Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.

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