To restrict or limit something within certain boundaries; to draw a line around. In geometry, to draw a figure around another figure so that it touches but doesn't intersect.
From Latin 'circumscribere,' combining 'circum' (around) and 'scribere' (to write). The word entered English in the 15th century, maintaining both its literal geometric meaning and figurative sense of limitation.
Picture drawing a circle around something to contain it - that's literally what circumscribe means! 'Circum' (around) + 'scribe' (write) = write around, or limit.
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