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circulate. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
circulate, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
circulate in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
circulate you have here. The definition of the word
circulate will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
circulate, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin circulātus, perfect passive participle of Late Latin circulō (“to make circular, encircle”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), a later collateral form of circulor (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”), from circulus (“a circle”). See also Middle English circulat(e) (“(alchemy) changed by continuous distillation in a closed vessel”).
Pronunciation
Verb
circulate (third-person singular simple present circulates, present participle circulating, simple past and past participle circulated)
- (intransitive) to move in circles or through a circuit
- (transitive) to cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit
- to move from person to person, as at a party
2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary”, in The Guardian:In both the 2005 and 2013 papal elections there were whispers circulating that back in 1976 Francis had failed to help the two priests in their hour of need.
- to spread or disseminate
to circulate money or gossip
- to become widely known
- (mathematics) Of decimals: to repeat.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to cause to move in circles
to move from person to person
Translations to be checked
Further reading
- “circulate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E Smith, editors (1911), “circulate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
Italian
Etymology 1
Verb
circulate
- inflection of circulare:
- second-person plural present indicative
- second-person plural imperative
Etymology 2
Participle
circulate f pl
- feminine plural of circulato
Latin
Verb
circulāte
- second-person plural present active imperative of circulō
Spanish
Verb
circulate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of circular combined with te