Around
/əˈraʊnd/noun
Surrounding or encircling something; also, approximately.
Did you know?“Around” comes from Old English *on runde* / *on rundt*, literally meaning “on the round,” showing how English can turn a spatial idea into a single looping word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*rundō
“round, circular”
Old English
OE
on runde
“on the round; in a circular course”
Middle English
ME
arounde
“in a circle; on every side”
Early Modern English
English
around
“encircling; about; approximately”
Modern English
English
around
“surrounding, about, or approximately”