RDP #77 – ENCIRCLE

to make or put in a circle

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This is one of those fascinating words that can be used in countless different ways. The first one I thought of was “Circle the wagons!” as used in old cowboy movies and TV programs.

Image result for circle the wagons images

The prefix cir- shows up in literally hundreds of words.

Circumlocution: to speak around, in a circular manner, avoid the main point.

Circumnavigate: to steer around.

circumvent: find a way around an obstacle
circuitous.–in a round-about way
circumflex.–bending around something else
circumfuse.–to pour a liquid in a way that it forms a circle
circulate.-move or cause to move continuously or freely through a closed system or area.

You see? Look in a dictionary, there are dozens more. Even a circus is called a circus simply because the performance takes place in large circles. As in, a three-ring circus.

We wear rings on our fingers. Children play Ring Around the Rosie. When we skip flat rocks across the surface of a lake, if we’re really good, we can make circles. We learn all about circles in geometry–diameter, pi, circumference, area. We bake round pies, and we circles to teach fractions. We make pie charts which are shaped–you guessed it–in a circle. A few years back, we installed a traffic circle in my little town. It was quite an innovation for us. In the UK, they’d call it a round-about.

Then there is the merry-go-round, and the ferris wheel, and roller skates, hula hoops, and frisbee. All depending on the circle.

And finally, our prompt: Encircle. To make a ring around.

This could be a very long post, so I think I’ll stop 🙂

RDP: Encircle