Present participle of circulate; moving continuously through a closed system or route. Spreading or distributing information, money, or materials among a group of people.
From Latin 'circulatus,' past participle of 'circulare' meaning 'to form a circle,' from 'circulus' (little circle). The word entered English in the 17th century, initially describing physical movement in circular patterns before extending to abstract circulation.
The concept of circulation revolutionized both medicine and economics - William Harvey's discovery of blood circulation in 1628 paralleled early economic theories about money circulation through markets. Both systems rely on continuous flow to maintain health, whether in bodies or economies, showing how one scientific breakthrough can illuminate patterns across disciplines.
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