Added 9 October 2026
circus
/ˈsɜːkəs/ noun
In Latin: circēnsēs Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about circus at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
The circus will be in town next week.
-
A round open space in a town or city where multiple streets meet.
Oxford Circus in London is at the north end of Regent Street.
- A spectacle; a noisy fuss; a chaotic and/or crowded place.
verb
Origin
From Middle English circus, circo, from Latin circus (“ring, circle”), from Ancient Greek κρίκος (kríkos), κίρκος (kírkos, “ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”). Doublet of cirque. Cognate with Old English hring (whence English ring) and Old English hringsetl (“circus”, literally “ring-seat”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)