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Where does the word "circa" come from? It comes from Latin circa, and was adopted directly into English (1860s).
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Where does the word "circa" come from? It comes from Latin circa, and was adopted directly into English (1860s).
Circa’s story begins in Latin: circa meant “around.” 'around', from 'circus', ring. It reached English by 1860s as circa. Taken up by historians and cataloguers, usually shortened to 'c.' before a date. Today, circa means approximately (used with dates).
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient circa "around", 'around', from 'circus', ring.
- Stage 2 · English · 1860s circa "approximately", taken up by historians and cataloguers, usually shortened to 'c.' before a date.