From Middle English circuit, from Old French circuit, from Latin circuitus, from circuire ("go round"), from circum ("around") + ire.

• (RP) IPA: /ˈsɜː.kɪt/
• (America) IPA: /ˈsɝ.kɪt/
• (India) IPA: /ˈsɜː.kɪʈ/, /ˈsəɾ.kɪʈ/

circuit (plural circuits)

1. The act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle or orbit; a revolution
   • 1904, Popular Science Monthly Volume 64, page 33:

     After 27 days the moon has made one circuit among the stars, moving from west to east. But in those 27 days the sun has likewise moved eastwardly, about 27 degrees. The moon, then, has to make one circuit and a little more in order to be again in the line joining the earth and sun, in order to be again 'new.'

2. The circumference of, or distance around, any space; the measure of a line around an area.
3. That which encircles anything, as a ring or crown.
4. The space enclosed within a circle, or within limits.
5. (electricity) Enclosed path of an electric current, usually designed for a certain function.
6. A regular or appointed trip from place to place as part of one's job
   • November 25 2016, Jane Cornwell in The Age, Bill Bailey: bird loving joker at the peak of his career ↗

     Having cut his teeth on London's take-no-prisoners comedy circuit he can handle hecklers too, sometimes with musical accompaniment; recent shows see him armed with a veritable chamber orchestra's worth of instruments, all of which he plays.

7. (legal) The jurisdiction of certain judges within a state or country, whether itinerant or not.
8. (historical) Various administrative divisions of imperial and early Republican China, including:
   1. The counties at the fringes of the empire, usually with a non-Chinese population, from the Han to the Western Jin.
   2. The 10 or so major provinces of the empire from the Tang to the early Yuan.
   3. Major provincial divisions from the Yuan to early Republican China.
9. (legal) Abbreviation of circuit court
10. (Methodism) The basic grouping of local Methodist churches.
11. By analogy to the proceeding three, a set of theaters among which the same acts circulate; especially common in the heyday of vaudeville.
12. (motor racing) A track on which a race in held; a racetrack
    • November 13 2016, Formula 1

      Interlagos is the 24th track Hamilton has won at in F1, which is more than any other driver in history. The only circuit on the current calendar that Hamilton hasn’t won at is Baku, which only joined the schedule this year.

13. (obsolete) circumlocution
    • 1572, Richard Huloet, Huloets Dictionarie:

      circuite of words.

14. (Scientology) A thought that unconsciously goes round and round in a person's mind and controls that person.
15. (graph theory) A closed path, without repeated vertices allowed.
16. A chain of cinemas/movie theaters.
    • 1990, Arthur A. Thompson, Alonzo J. Strickland, Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, page 341:

      Mike Patrick commented on a theater chain he was considering buying and converting to 99 ¢ theaters with multiplex screens: I'm looking at a circuit of theaters in a major metropolitan area. Now the owner hasn't told me that it is for sale yet.

    • 2002, Allen Eyles, Keith Skone, Cinemas of Hertfordshire, page 61:

      It again featured Edgar Simmons (the architect and chairman), John Ray (the builder), L. E. Agar (managing director) and J. G. Wainwright (head of a separate circuit of cinemas).

• (path or distance around a space) periplus (naval)
• (Imperial Chinese administrative divisions) dao; lu, route (Later Jin to Song); tao (obsolete)

• German: Umlauf
• Portuguese: circuito, volta
• Russian: кругооборо́т

• Portuguese: circuito, perímetro
• Russian: окру́жность

• Portuguese: contorno

• Russian: круг

• French: circuit
• German: Schaltkreis
• Portuguese: circuito
• Russian: цепь
• Spanish: circuito

• Portuguese: circuito
• Russian: объе́зд

• German: Bezirk

circuit (circuits, present participle circuiting; simple past and past participle circuited)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To move in a circle; to go round; to circulate.
   • 1708, [John Philips], “Book II”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗, page 65 ↗:

     perpetual Motion keep, / Quick circuiting ; nor dare they close their Eyes

2. (transitive, obsolete) To travel around.

   Having circuited the air.