Circumscribe Definition
sûrkəm-skrīb
circumscribed, circumscribing
verb
circumscribed, circumscribing
To trace a line around; encircle; encompass.
Webster's New World
To set or mark off the limits of; limit; confine.
Webster's New World
To restrict the action of; restrain.
Webster's New World
To draw a plane figure around (another plane figure) either to intersect each vertex of the inner figure, as a circle around a square, or to have each side of the outer figure tangent to the inner figure, as a square around a circle.
Webster's New World
To enclose a solid figure within (another solid figure) in a similar manner, as a cube within a sphere or a sphere within a cube.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Origin of Circumscribe
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Middle English circumscriben from Latin circumscrībere circum- circum- scrībere to write skrībh- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Latin circumscrībō, from circum (“around”) + scrībō (“write”). Surface analysis: circum- (“around”) + scribe (“write”).
From Wiktionary
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