Word of the Day : December 3, 2018

circumvent \ser-kum-VENT\ verb

Definition

1 : to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem

2 a : to hem in

b : to make a circuit around

Did You Know?

If you've ever felt as if someone was circling around the rules, you have an idea of the origins of circumvent—it derives from the Latin circum, meaning "circle," and ventus, the past participle of the Latin verb venire, meaning "to come." The earliest uses of circumvent referred to a tactic of hunting or warfare in which the quarry or enemy was encircled and captured. Today, however, circumvent more often suggests avoidance than entrapment; it typically means to "get around" someone or something, as in our example sentences.

Aired December 3, 2018

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