Plural of circumambages; roundabout ways, circuitous paths, or unnecessary detours in speech or action.
From Latin 'circumambages,' plural of 'circumambage.' The root is 'circum' (around) + Latin 'ambagis' (winding journey). The word entered English in the 16th century to describe indirect or evasive paths.
When someone uses 'circumambages' (usually pronounced and written as 'circumambages'), they're criticizing exactly what politicians and evasive people do—talk around the point endlessly. It's a wonderfully specific word for 'beating around the bush.'
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