circular

adj.

1. Of or relating to a circle.
2. 1. Shaped like or nearly like a circle; round.
   2. Moving in or forming a circle.
3. Circuitous; roundabout: took a circular route to the office.
4. Using a premise to prove a conclusion that in turn is used to prove the premise: a circular argument.
5. Defining one word in terms of another that is itself defined in terms of the first word.
6. Addressed or distributed to a large number of persons.

n.
A printed advertisement, directive, or notice intended for mass distribution.

[Middle English circuler, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin circulāris, from circulus, circle. See circle.]

circularity cir'cu·lar'i·ty (-lăr'ĭ-tē) n.
circularly cir'cu·lar·ly adv.

(SUHR-kyuh-luhr)

adjective
1. In the shape of or related to a circle.
2. Roundabout, indirect.
3. Involving fallacious reasoning that tries to prove something previously assumed true.

noun
A widely distributed letter, notice, advertisement, etc.

Etymology
From Middle English circuler, from Middle French, from Latin circularis, from circulus (small circle), diminutive of circus (circle or ring), from Greek kirkos (circle)

So the term "three-ring circus" has, in fact, four "rings" in it, etymologically speaking. Other words derived from the same source are circuit, circulate, and search (in the sense of "to go around").

Usage
"In writing or logic classes many of us learned -- and put aside - that `to beg the question' is a logical fallacy that refers to circular reasoning. It is an argument that assumes as a truth the point the speaker is arguing for. To borrow an example ... `This painting is trash because it is obviously worthless.'" — Dan Hortsch; Turn of a Phrase is Bereft of Praise in Its Final Phase; The Oregonian (Portland); Oct 6, 2002.

"He claimed clarification was received in a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary S.A. Suleiman ..." — Winniefred Bassey; For Luth Workers, It's Battle Royale; This Day (Lagos, Nigeria), Aug 30, 2002.

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Advertisement printed on a single sheet of paper and circulated either by Third class mail or by hand; also called circ, flier. The advertisement may be printed in one or more colors, and the paper may be of any color stock. Usually a circular is folded so that the edges are parallel and it can fit in an envelope. Circulars are used as package inserts, as retail over-the-counter handouts, and in directmail packages. They work best if they are relatively large with colorful illustrations and exciting headlines. They are often used by business salespeople to provide prospective customers with technical information.

adjective

1. Having the shape of a curve everywhere equidistant from a fixed point: annular, globoid, globular, round, spheric, spherical. See geometry.
2. Not taking a direct or straight line or course: anfractuous, circuitous, devious, indirect, oblique, roundabout, tortuous. See straight/bent.

area As applied to linear units of measure, a terminology for expressing the area of a circular section purely as the square of its diameter, hence avoiding incorporation of the irrational factor pi, i.e. ignoring the multiplier ¹/_4π. Hence:

circular inch	= 1/4π sq.in = 0.785 398 2~ in2 (506.7075~ mm2),
circular mil	= 1/4π sq.mil = 0.785 398 2~ sq.mil
	= 0.785 398 2~ × 10-6in2 (506.7075~ μm2).
circular mm	= ¼ mm2 = 0.785 398 2~ mm2 (0.001 211 737~ in2).

IN BRIEF: Having a round shape. Also: A letter or advertisement sent out to many people.

There was a large circular driveway in front of the huge house.

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - cirkulær, rund
n. - cirkulære, rundskrivelse

idioms:

• circular argument    argumentere i cirkler
• circular saw    rundsav

Nederlands (Dutch)
rond, circulair(e), indirect, betreffende cirkelredenering

Français (French)
adj. - circulaire, rond, (Biol) circulaire (ADN)
n. - circulaire, prospectus

idioms:

• circular argument    raisonnement circulaire
• circular saw    scie circulaire

Deutsch (German)
n. - Rundschreiben, Werbeprospekt
adj. - kreisförmig, Kreis-

idioms:

• circular argument    Kreisschluß
• circular saw    Kreissäge

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - εγκύκλιος
adj. - κυκλικός, κυκλοτερής

idioms:

• circular argument    ατέρμων συζήτηση
• circular saw    δισκοπρίονο

Italiano (Italian)
circolare

idioms:

• circular saw    sega circolare

Português (Portuguese)
n. - circular (m)
adj. - circular, redondo, evasivo

idioms:

• circular saw    serra (f) circular

Русский (Russian)
рекламная листовка, круговой

idioms:

• circular saw    циркулярная пила

Español (Spanish)
adj. - circular
n. - circular, objeto de forma circular

idioms:

• circular argument    razonamiento circular
• circular saw    sierra circular

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - cirkulär
adj. - cirkelrund, cirkel-, roterande, kringgående

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
圆形的, 循环的, 通知, 公告, 传单

idioms:

• circular argument    循环争执
• circular saw    圆锯

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 圓形的, 循環的
n. - 通知, 公告, 傳單

idioms:

• circular argument    循環爭執
• circular saw    圓鋸

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 원형의, 순환의, 완곡한
n. - 회장, 안내장

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 円形の, 円を描く, 循環性の, 巡回の, 遠まわしの
n. - 回状, 引き札

idioms:

• circular argument    循環論
• circular saw    まるのこ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) منشور, نشرة (صفه) دائري, مستدير, مدور, مختص بالدائرة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮עיגולי, חוזר, עקיף, מסתובב‬
n. - ‮מכתב חוזר, חוזר‬

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circular saw	weekly circular
circular saws	Circular Saw Blade