circumscription
nounUK /ˌsɜː.kəmˈskɹɪp.ʃən/ · US /ˌsɝ.kəmˈskɹɪp.ʃən/
Etymology Borrowed from Latin circumscrīptiō.
1
The act of circumscribing or the quality of being circumscribed.
2
Anything that circumscribes or a circumscribed area.
3
Biology, Natural sciences, Taxonomy The definition of what does and does not belong to a given taxon, from a particular taxonomic viewpoint or taxonomic system.
- The circumscription in the APG system of the family Malvaceae includes the former families Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae.
4
An electoral district; used often in texts treating electoral systems in Romance countries.
- Derived terms
- circumscriptional, incircumscription, recircumscription
- Related terms
- circumscribe