To give a date that is too late for something, or to date something around a particular period rather than exactly.
From Latin circum (around) + data (given dates), from dare (to give). The term combines the prefix for 'around' with the dating concept, suggesting approximate rather than precise dating.
Archaeologists use circumdating when they can't pinpoint an exact date for an artifact—they might say something is circumdated to 'around 3000 BCE' rather than exactly 3007 BCE, acknowledging the uncertainty while narrowing the range.
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