Etymology of the English word circus
the English word
circusderived from the Latin word
circus (race course; circus in Rome, celebration of games)
derived from the Greek word
kirkosderived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kirk-derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*sker- (to turn, bend)
Date
The earliest known usage of circus in English dates from the 16th century.
Cognates
Dutch
circus, French
cirque, German
Zirkus, Italian
circo, Lithuanian
cirkas, Norwegian
sirkus, Polish
cyrk, Russian
циpк, Swedish
cirkusUsage
Word found in Modern English
