circuit

noun, verb — 21 senses

circuit

noun

UK /ˈsɜː.kɪt/ · US /ˈsɝ.kɪt/

Etymology From Middle English circuit, from Old French circuit, from Latin circuitus (“a going round”), from circuire (“go round”), from circum (“around”) + ire.

16 senses
  1. 1The act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle…
  2. 2The circumference of, or distance around, any space; the…
  3. 3That which encircles anything, as a ring or crown.
  4. 4The space enclosed within a circle, or within limits.
  5. 5Enclosed path of an electric current, usually designed…
  6. 6A regular or appointed trip from place to place as part…
  7. 7The jurisdiction of certain judges within a state or…
  8. 8Abbreviation of circuit court.
  9. 9The basic grouping of local Methodist churches.
  10. 10A set of theaters among which the same acts circulate…
  11. 11A track on which a race is held; a racetrack
  12. 12circumlocution
  13. 13A thought that unconsciously goes round and round in a…
  14. 14A closed trail.
  15. 15A chain of cinemas/movie theaters.
  16. 16A single completion of all of the exercises in a circuit…
1

The act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle or orbit; a revolution

  • After 27 days the moon has made one circuit among the stars, moving from west to east. But in those 27 days the sun has likewise moved eastwardly, about 27 degrees. The moon, then, has to make one circuit and a little more in order to be again in the line joining the earth and sun, in order to be again 'new.'1904, Popular Science Monthly Volume 64, page 33:
  • In the future, he says, a focus on the hate circuit may open new avenues for treatment – including new drugs and psychotherapies – that target this and other specific circuits in the brain.2011 October 4, Amanda MacMillan, “Depressed brains may hate differently”, in CNN:
2

The circumference of, or distance around, any space; the measure of a line around an area.

  • Circuit of the wall from the east to the West1598, John Stow, A Survay of London:
3

That which encircles anything, as a ring or crown.

  • And this fell tempest shall not cease to rage Until the golden circuit on my head, Like to the glorious sun's transparent beams, Do calm the fury of this mad-bred flaw.1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part II, Act III, Scene I, line 351:
4

The space enclosed within a circle, or within limits.

  • "Fondling," she saith, "since I have hemm'd thee here Within the circuit of this ivory pale, I'll be a park, and thou shalt be my deer: Feed where thou wilt, on mountain, or in dale; Graze on my lips; and if those hills be dry, Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie."1592, William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis, Stanza 39, line 229:
  • A circuit wide enclosed with goodliest trees.1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:
5

Business, Electrical engineering, Electricity, Electromagnetism, Energy, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics Enclosed path of an electric current, usually designed for a certain function.

  • The parts within these series and parallel sub-circuits may be arranged in different ways without changing what the circuit does. Large circuits are made of combinations of smaller series and parallel circuits.2017 October 23, “Snap Circuits Light”, in Snap Circuits, Elenco, page 9:
6

A regular or appointed trip from place to place as part of one's job

  • Having cut his teeth on London's take-no-prisoners comedy circuit he can handle hecklers too, sometimes with musical accompaniment; recent shows see him armed with a veritable chamber orchestra's worth of instruments, all of which he plays.2016 November 25, Jane Cornwell, “Bill Bailey: bird loving joker at the peak of his career”, in The Age:
7

Law The jurisdiction of certain judges within a state or country, whether itinerant or not.

8

Law Abbreviation Abbreviation of circuit court.

9

The basic grouping of local Methodist churches.

10

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Theater A set of theaters among which the same acts circulate; especially common in the heyday of vaudeville.

11

Hobbies, Lifestyle, Motor racing, Racing, Sports A track on which a race is held; a racetrack

  • Interlagos is the 24th track Hamilton has won at in F1, which is more than any other driver in history. The only circuit on the current calendar that Hamilton hasn’t won at is Baku, which only joined the schedule this year.November 13 2016, Formula 1
12

Obsolete circumlocution

  • circuite of words.1572, Richard Huloet, Huloets Dictionarie:
13

Scientology, Lifestyle, Religion A thought that unconsciously goes round and round in a person's mind and controls that person.

14

Graph theory, Mathematics, Sciences A closed trail.

15

A chain of cinemas/movie theaters.

  • Mike Patrick commented on a theater chain he was considering buying and converting to 99 ¢ theaters with multiplex screens: I'm looking at a circuit of theaters in a major metropolitan area. Now the owner hasn't told me that it is for sale yet.1990, Arthur A. Thompson, Alonzo J. Strickland, Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, page 341:
  • It again featured Edgar Simmons (the architect and chairman), John Ray (the builder), L. E. Agar (managing director) and J. G. Wainwright (head of a separate circuit of cinemas).2002, Allen Eyles, Keith Skone, Cinemas of Hertfordshire, page 61:
16

A single completion of all of the exercises in a circuit training regime.

Synonyms
periplus
Derived terms
80 termsarc-fault circuit interrupter, Banana Pancake Circuit, biocircuit, Boolean circuit, chicken-in-a-basket circuit, circuital, circuit bending, circuit board, circuit breaker, circuit-breaker, circuit court, circuit diagram, circuiteer, circuiter, circuit intendant, circuitous, circuit party, circuit queen, circuit race, circuit rank, circuit rider, circuitry, circuit slugger, circuit split, circuit topology, circuit training, circuity, citronella circuit, closed circuit, closed-circuit, closed-circuit television, cocircuit, combinational circuit, Domesday circuit, electrical circuit, electric circuit, electronic circuit, Eulerian circuit, final circuit, Foxhole Circuit, Galvanic circuit, Home Circuit, in-circuit, integrated circuit, integrated optical circuit, intracircuit, Junior Circuit, Kirchhoff's circuit laws, Kirchoff's circuit laws, local circuit, logic circuit, macrocircuit, magnetic circuit, mesocorticolimbic circuit, microcircuit, multicircuit, nanocircuit, nano-circuit, neurocircuit, noncircuit, open circuit, open circuit voltage, parallel circuit, phantom circuit, polyphase circuit, printed circuit, printed circuit board, radio frequency integrated circuit, recircuit, ride the circuit, sawdust circuit, Senior Circuit, series circuit, short circuit, short-circuit, short circuit operator, short-circuit operator, subcircuit, track circuit, Voltaic circuit

circuit

verb

Etymology From Middle English circuit, from Old French circuit, from Latin circuitus (“a going round”), from circuire (“go round”), from circum (“around”) + ire.

1

Obsolete To move in a circle; to go round; to circulate.

  • perpetual Motion keep, / Quick circuiting ; nor dare they close their Eyes1708, [John Philips], “Book II”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 65:
2

Obsolete To travel around.

  • Having circuited the air.

circuit

noun

Etymology A calque of Chinese 道 (dào) or 路 (lù).

› Various administrative divisions of imperial…

1

Historical The counties at the fringes of the empire, usually with a non-Chinese population, from the Han to the Western Jin.

2

Historical The 10 or so major provinces of the empire from the Tang to the early Yuan.

3

Historical Major provincial divisions from the Yuan to early Republican China.

Synonyms
dao, lu, route, tao

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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