circuit (French)
Where does "circuit" come from?
French circuit comes directly from Latin circuitus, which meant a going around or roundabout course. In Latin, circuitus is tied to circueō, “to go around,” so the core idea of a circular route or tour has stayed remarkably consistent as the word passed into French.
Full etymology tree
- circuit (French), 'circuit'
- inherited from circuitus (Latin), 'circulated'
- derived from circueō (Latin), 'alternative form of circumeō'
- inherited from circuitus (Latin), 'circulated'
Ancestors
- circuitus (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- circuit court (French)
- circuit imprimé (French)
- circuit intégré (French)
- coup de circuit (French)
Updated March 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris