The act or process of moving in a circle or circular motion, especially used in botany to describe how a plant's tendril or frond curls or coils.
From Latin 'circinatus,' past participle of 'circinare,' meaning 'to make round' (from 'circinus,' compass). Used in scientific contexts since the 1600s.
Fern fiddleheads unfurling show circination—it's one of nature's most elegant spirals, and the same word describes both a geometry compass and how plants grow, connecting tools, math, and botany in one beautiful term!
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