circumference
Definitions
The boundary line of a circle; the distance around its edge.
圆周；周长
The distance around the edge of any roughly round object.
（圆形物体的）周长，外缘
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedcircum- (around) + fer (carry, from Latin ferre) + -ence (state) = 'the carrying-around.' The boundary line is imagined as being 'carried around' the circle — and the word also names the length of that line.
Root fer still carries 93 more wordsWhy It Means This
Picture a pen 'carried' all the way around a circle until it returns to the start — the line it traces is the circumference. The fer in it is the same 'carry' root as in transfer and refer; here what's carried is the boundary itself, looped around. That's why circumference means both the boundary line and the length you'd measure walking it.
Common Collocations
- 1.Earth's circumference地球周长
- 2.circumference of a circle圆的周长
- 3.in circumference周长达
Example Sentences
- 1.
The Earth's circumference is about 40,000 kilometers.
- 2.
The tree trunk has a circumference of five meters.
- 3.
To find the circumference of a circle, multiply its diameter by pi.
Easily Confused
circumference vs perimeter vs diameter — circumference is the distance around a circle or curved shape; perimeter is the distance around any shape (including squares and polygons); diameter is the straight line across a circle through its center. Curved boundary → circumference; straight across → diameter.