circumambulate
/ˌsɝ.kəmˈæm.bju.leɪt/
circumambulate means to walk around something in a circle, especially for a ritual purpose. It carries an Arena rating of 1607, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, circumambulate ranks #117 of 13,272 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,327 of 13,272 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,411 of 13,272 for Funniest Words, #1,636 of 13,272 for Most Sublime Words.
circumambulate is pronounced /ˌsɝ.kəmˈæm.bju.leɪt/.
Why “circumambulate” is a great word
To walk all the way around something, often with ceremonial intent or deliberative pacing. From Latin circumambulatus, past participle of circumambulare ("to walk around"), from circum- ("around") + ambulare ("to walk"). First attested in English in the 1650s. Unlike "perambulate" (which is to walk through a territory, surveying its bounds) or "stroll" (which suggests a meandering, unburdened gait), to circumambulate is to trace a sacred or thoughtful perimeter. It is the monk moving clockwise around a stupa, the anxious prisoner pacing the confines of his cell, or the solitary soul orbiting an old oak tree, fingertips brushing its bark. It is the act of defining a boundary, physical or spiritual, by the simple, profound application of one’s own worn path.
Etymology
Latin circumambulatus, past participle of circumambulare (“to walk around”). Equivalent to circum- + ambulate.
verb
- To walk around something in a circle, especially for a ritual purpose.“Circumambulate the city of a dreamy Sabbath afternoon.”
Words closest in meaning
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