circle [OE] The root of circle is Latin circulus ‘small ring’, from circus ‘ring’, the source of our word circus [LME]. A Roman circus was a rounded or oval arena lined with tiers of seats, where chariot races, gladiatorial combats, and other, often cruel, contests took place. Names like Piccadilly Circus were attached to open, more or less circular areas in towns where streets converged. Other words from the same root include circuit [LME] from Latin circum ire ‘go around’, and circulate [LME] ‘move in a circular path’. Come or turn full circle is a reference to ‘The Wheele is come full circle’ in Shakespeare’s King Lear. The wheel is the one thought of as being turned by the goddess Fortune and symbolizing change.