Past tense of circulate; moved continuously in a closed path or distributed widely among people.
From Latin circulatus, past participle of circulare 'to form a circle', from circulus 'small circle'. Entered English in the 15th century, initially describing circular motion before extending to distribution and flow.
William Harvey's 1628 discovery that blood circulates through the body revolutionized medicine and gave new meaning to this word. Before Harvey, people thought blood was consumed by organs rather than circulated, making 'circulation' a genuinely new concept.
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