different between curl vs circular

English

Etymology

From metathesis of Middle English crulle (“curled, curly”), from Middle Dutch crul, crulle (“curl”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kruzl? (“bent or crooked object, curl”), of unknown origin.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Krulle (“curl, lock”), West Frisian krul (“curl”), Dutch krul (“curl”), German Low German Krull (“curl”), dialectal German Krolle (“curl”), Danish krølle (“curl”), Norwegian krull (“curl”). Related also to Saterland Frisian Kruus (“curl”), German kraus (“frizzy, crumpled, curly”), Swedish krusa (“to crimp, curl”). Compare also Gothic ???????????????????????????????? (kriustan, “to grind, crush, gnash”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /k??l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /k?l/
• Rhymes: -??(?)l

Noun

curl (plural curls)

1. A piece or lock of curling hair; a ringlet.
2. A curved stroke or shape.
   • 1995, John Curtis, Julian Reade, & Dominique Collon, Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum, page 184:

     […] the backs of their necks and their forelegs are decorated with curls and their necks and bodies are covered with fine, undulating lines.

3. A spin making the trajectory of an object curve.
   • 1909, Harold Horsfall Hilton, The Six Handicap Golfer's Companion^[2], page 38:

     It is possible to use the wind which blows from the left to the right by playing well into the wind with the slightest bit of curl on the ball […]

4. (curling) Movement of a moving rock away from a straight line.
5. (weightlifting) Any exercise performed by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially those that train the biceps.
   • 2007 (Jan/Feb), Jon Crosby, "Your Winter Muscle Makeover", Men's Health, page 54:

     Now do a curl and an overhead press, keeping your palms facing in.

6. (calculus) The vector field denoting the rotationality of a given vector field.

7. (calculus, proper noun) The vector operator, denoted ${\displaystyle {\rm {{curl}\;}}}$ or ${\displaystyle {\vec {\nabla }}\times {\vec {\left(\cdot \right)}}}$, that generates this field.
8. (agriculture) Any of various diseases of plants causing the leaves or shoots to curl up; often specifically the potato curl.
9. (music, chiefly lutherie) The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the flame.

10. (American football) A pattern where the receiver appears to be running a fly pattern but after a set number of steps or yards quickly stops and turns around, looking for a pass.

Synonyms

• (lock of curling hair): ringlet
• (curved stroke or shape): curlicue, curve, flourish, loop, spiral

Antonyms

• (weightlifting exercise): extension

Coordinate terms

• (calculus): gradient, divergence, rotational

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

curl (third-person singular simple present curls, present participle curling, simple past and past participle curled)

1. (transitive) To cause to move in a curve.
2. (transitive) To make into a curl or spiral.
3. (intransitive) To assume the shape of a curl or spiral.
4. (intransitive) To move in curves.
5. (intransitive, curling) To take part in the sport of curling.

6. (transitive, weightlifting) To exercise by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially of the biceps.
7. To twist or form (the hair, etc.) into ringlets.
   • There was also hairdressing: hairdressing, too, really was hairdressing in those times — no running a comb through it and that was that. It was curled, frizzed, waved, put in curlers overnight, waved with hot tongs; […].

8. To deck with, or as if with, curls; to ornament.
   • 1633, George Herbert, Jordan

     Curling with metaphors a plain intention.

9. To raise in waves or undulations; to ripple.

   • Seas would be pools without the brushing air / To curl the waves.

10. (hat-making) To shape (the brim of a hat) into a curve.

Synonyms

• (to make into a curl or spiral): arch, coil, roll up
• (to assume the shape of a curl or spiral): coil, roll up
• (to move in curves): curve, spiral

Antonyms

• (to make into a curl or spiral): straighten, uncoil, unroll
• (to assume the shape of a curl or spiral): straighten, uncoil, unroll

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• coil

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

English

Etymology

From Middle English circuler, circuleer, circulere, borrowed from Old French circulier, from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus, diminutive of circus (“ring”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??k.j?.l?(?)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?k.j?.l?/
• Hyphenation: cir?cu?lar

Adjective

circular (comparative more circular, superlative most circular)

1. Of or relating to a circle.
2. In the shape of, or moving in a circle.
3. Circuitous or roundabout.
4. Referring back to itself, so as to prevent computation or comprehension; infinitely recursive.

   circular reasoning

   Your dictionary defines "brave" as "courageous", and "courageous" as "brave". That's a circular definition.

   a circular formula in a spreadsheet

5. Distributed to a large number of persons.
   • 1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England

     a proclamation of Henry III., […] doubtless circular throughout England

6. (obsolete) Perfect; complete.
   • 1632, Philip Massinger, Maid of Honour, act I, scene 2:

     A man so absolute and circular / In all those wished-for rarities that may take / A virgin captive.

7. (archaic) Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior.
   • February 1, 1711, John Dennis, on the Genius and Writings of Shakespeare

     Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido?

Hyponyms

• semicircular

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

circular (plural circulars)

1. Synonym of flyer: a printed advertisement, directive, or notice intended for mass circulation.
   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 55:

     The pigeon-hole was also stuffed with circulars and hand-bills.

2. Short for circular letter.
3. (dated) A sleeveless cloak cut from a circular pattern.
4. A shuttle bus with a circular route.

See also

• advertisement
• booklet
• brochure
• catalogue, catalog
• flier, flyer
• handbill, hand bill
• junk mail
• leaflet
• pamphlet

Verb

circular (third-person singular simple present circulars, present participle circularing, simple past and past participle circulared)

1. To distribute circulars to or at.
2. To extend in a circular direction.

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

circular (epicene, plural circulares)

1. circular

Related terms

• círculu

Verb

circular (first-person singular indicative present circulo, past participle circuláu)

1. to circle

Conjugation

Related terms

• círculu

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /si?.ku?la/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /sir.ku?la/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /si?.ku?la?/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

circular (masculine and feminine plural circulars)

1. circular

Noun

circular f (plural circulars)

1. circular

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Late Latin circulo, circulare, post-Augustan form of Latin circulor.

Verb

circular (first-person singular present circulo, past participle circulat)

1. to circulate
2. to move, to travel

Conjugation

Related terms

• cercle

Further reading

• “circular” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “circular” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “circular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “circular” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

circular m or f (plural circulares)

1. (geometry) circular

Related terms

• círculo

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin circul?ris (“circular round”), from Latin circulus, corresponding to círculo +? -ar.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /si?.ku.?la?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?si?.ku.?la?/

Adjective

circular m or f (plural circulares, comparable)

1. circular; round

   Synonyms: redondo, rotundo

2. running in a loop

3. (rhetoric, lexicography) circular (referring back to itself)

4. circular (distributed to a large number of people)

Noun

circular f (plural circulares)

1. circular letter (official communication distributed to interested parties)

Noun

circular m (plural circulares)

1. circular (shuttle bus that runs in a loop)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin circul?, circul?re (“I make round”), post-Augustan form of Latin circulor.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /si?.ku.?la?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?si?.ku.?la(?)/

Verb

circular (first-person singular present indicative circulo, past participle circulado)

1. (transitive) to circle (to place a circle around)

   Synonym: circundar

2. (intransitive) to circle (to move around an axis)

   Synonyms: girar, rodar

3. (intransitive) to circulate (to move through a circuit)

4. (intransitive) to flow freely

5. (intransitive, or transitive with por) to move about; to walk around

6. (transitive) to circulate; to disseminate; to spread

7. (intransitive) to circulate; to be disseminated; to be spread; to go around
   1. (economics) to circulate (to be valid as currency)

   2. (media) to circulate (to be published and distributed)

8. first-person singular (eu) personal infinitive of circular
9. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) personal infinitive of circular
10. first-person singular (eu) future subjunctive of circular
11. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) future subjunctive of circular

Conjugation

Romanian

Etymology

From French circulaire

Adjective

circular m or n (feminine singular circular?, masculine plural circulari, feminine and neuter plural circulare)

1. circular

Declension

Spanish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin circul?ris, from Latin circulus.

Adjective

circular (plural circulares)

1. circular

Noun

circular f (plural circulares)

1. circular (advertisement)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Late Latin circul?re, present active infinitive of circul?, post-Augustan form of Latin circulor. Doublet of the inherited cerchar.

Verb

circular (first-person singular present circulo, first-person singular preterite circulé, past participle circulado)

1. to circulate
2. to go round, move around
3. to scram, clear off

Conjugation

Related terms

• círculo

References