Circue

/sɜrˈkju/ noun

Definition

An alternative or archaic spelling of cirque, meaning a deep mountainous valley with steep concave walls or a circus-like performance.

Etymology

From French cirque, borrowed from Latin circus. The circue variant represents an older English adaptation of the French word before standardized spelling conventions solidified.

Kelly Says

Spelling wasn't standardized until the 1700s, so older texts show wild variations of the same word. Circue and cirque are the same word frozen in different time periods—like finding your word's ancient relatives in a genealogy search.

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