different between wire vs circuit

English

Etymology

From Middle English wir, wyr, from Old English w?r (“wire, metal thread, wire-ornament”), from Proto-Germanic *w?raz (“wire”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh?iros (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”), from *weh?y- (“to turn, twist, weave, plait”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /wa??(?)/
• (US) enPR: w???r, w?r, IPA^(key): /?wa??/
• Rhymes: -a??(r)

Noun

wire (countable and uncountable, plural wires)

1. (uncountable) Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die.
2. A piece of such material; a thread or slender rod of metal, a cable.
3. A metal conductor that carries electricity.
4. A fence made of usually barbed wire.
5. (sports) A finish line of a racetrack.
6. (informal) A telecommunication wire or cable.
7. (by extension) An electric telegraph; a telegram.
8. (slang) A hidden listening device on the person of an undercover operative for the purposes of obtaining incriminating spoken evidence.
9. (informal) A deadline or critical endpoint.

10. (billiards) A wire strung with beads and hung horizontally above or near the table which is used to keep score.
11. (usually in the plural) Any of the system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show; hence, the network of hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization; strings.

    to pull the wires for office

12. (archaic, thieves' slang) A pickpocket who targets women.
13. (slang) A covert signal sent between people cheating in a card game.
14. (Scotland) A knitting needle.
15. The slender shaft of the plumage of certain birds.

Synonyms

• (thin thread of metal): cable, steel wire, thread
• (metal conductor that carries electricity): conducting wire
• (fencing made of usually barbed wire): barbed wire
• (informal: telegraph): See telegraph
• (informal: message transmitted by telegraph): See telegram
• (object used to keep the score in billiards): score string

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Descendants

• ? Gulf Arabic: ????? (w?yir)

See also

• filament
• hawser
• cable

Verb

wire (third-person singular simple present wires, present participle wiring, simple past and past participle wired)

1. To fasten with wire, especially with reference to wine bottles, corks, or fencing.
   • 1934, Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance, 1992 Bantam edition, ?ISBN, page 222:

     I could see him in his plane flying low over the river or a reservoir, dropping the club out with a chunk of lead wired to the shaft.

2. To string on a wire.

3. To equip with wires for use with electricity.

   Do you know how to wire a plug?
4. To add something into an electrical system by means of wiring; to incorporate or include something.

   I'll just wire your camera to the computer screen.

5. (figuratively, usually passive) To fix or predetermine (someone's personality or behaviour) in a particular way.

   There's no use trying to get Sarah to be less excitable. That's just the way she's wired.

6. To send a message or monetary funds to another person through a telecommunications system, formerly predominantly by telegraph.

7. (slang) To make someone tense or psyched up. See also adjective wired.

8. (slang) To install eavesdropping equipment.

9. To snare by means of a wire or wires.
10. (transitive, croquet) To place (a ball) so that the wire of a wicket prevents a successful shot.

Synonyms

• (equip for use with electricity): electrify
• (informal: send a message or funds by telecommunications): cable, telegraph

Antonyms

• (to fasten with wire): unwire

Troponyms

• (to fasten with wire): rewire
• (equip for use with electricity): rewire

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• Weir, weir, wier

Javanese

Romanization

wire

1. Romanization of ????

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

wire m (definite singular wiren, indefinite plural wirer, definite plural wirene)

1. Alternative spelling of vaier

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

wire m (definite singular wiren, indefinite plural wirar, definite plural wirane)

1. Alternative spelling of vaier

English

Etymology

From Middle English circuit, from Old French circuit, from Latin circuitus (“a going round”), from circuire (“go round”), from circum (“around”) + ire. As a Chinese administrative division, a calque of Chinese ? (dào) or ? (lù).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [?s??.k?t]
• (General American) IPA^(key): [?s?.k?t]
• (Indian English) IPA^(key): [?s??.k??], [?s??.k??]
• Rhymes: -??(r)k?t

Noun

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.
6. (electricity) Enclosed path of an electric current, usually designed for a certain function.
7. 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.

8. (law) The jurisdiction of certain judges within a state or country, whether itinerant or not.
9. (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.
10. (law) Abbreviation of circuit court.
11. (Methodism) The basic grouping of local Methodist churches.
12. By analogy to the proceeding three, a set of theaters among which the same acts circulate; especially common in the heyday of vaudeville.
13. (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.

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

      circuite of words.

15. (Scientology) A thought that unconsciously goes round and round in a person's mind and controls that person.
16. (graph theory) A closed path, without repeated vertices allowed.
17. 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).

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

circuit (third-person singular simple present circuits, present participle circuiting, simple past and past participle circuited)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To move in a circle; to go round; to circulate.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To travel around.

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin circuitus.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /si??kujt/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /sir?kujt/

Noun

circuit m (plural circuits)

1. circuit

Further reading

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

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French circuit, from Old French circuit, from Latin circuitus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?r?k?i/
• Hyphenation: cir?cuit
• Rhymes: -i

Noun

circuit n (plural circuits, diminutive circuitje n)

1. (sports) racetrack

   Synonym: racebaan

2. (physics) electric circuit

   Synonym: stroomkring

3. (figuratively) exclusive group of individuals, clique, circle

   Synonyms: kliek, kring

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: sirkuit

French

Etymology

From Latin circuitus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si?.k?i/
• Homophone: circuits

Noun

circuit m (plural circuits)

1. circuit
2. tour

Derived terms

• circuit imprimé
• coup de circuit

Further reading

• “circuit” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?kir.ku.it/, [?k?rku?t?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?t??ir.ku.it/, [?t??irkuit?]

Verb

circuit

1. third-person singular present active indicative of circue?

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French circuit and Latin circuitus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t??ir.ku?it/

Noun

circuit n (plural circuite)

1. circuit

Declension

Related terms