In the manner or direction of a circle; going around in a circular fashion.
Compound of circle plus the Old English suffix -wise, meaning 'in the manner of' or 'in the direction of.' This formation parallels clockwise and likewise, using an ancient Germanic word-building pattern.
The -wise suffix is wonderfully productive in English: clockwise, lengthwise, likewise. It's like adding 'in the style of' to any noun, creating an instant adverb. English speakers do this almost unconsciously, building new directional words on the fly.
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