Encircle
/ɪnˈsɜːr.kəl/noun
To form a circle around or to surround completely.
Did you know?Although it sounds mystical, “encircle” is a straightforward English formation from the idea of a circle, and that same ring-shaped root lives on in words like circus and circuit.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
encirclen
“to surround with a circle”
Old French
OF
encircler
“to surround in a circle”
Latin
Latin
circāre
“to go around, encircle”
Latin
Latin
circus
“ring, circle; arena”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to turn, bend, or curve”