American spelling: to make circular in shape, or to send information to many people by distributing circular letters or notices.
From 'circular' plus '-ize,' the American spelling of the verb-forming suffix (from Old French and Latin). The '-ize' spelling was standardized in American English from the 1800s onward.
When Noah Webster pushed for '-ize' endings in American English, he was actually choosing the more historically accurate Latin form—but ironically, modern British '-ise' has become so dominant in international usage that American '-ize' now seems rebellious.
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