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cir·cum·flex

(sûrkəm-flĕks′)

Any of several marks, especially ( ^ ), used over a vowel in certain languages or in phonetic keys to indicate quality of pronunciation.

adj.

1. Having this mark.

2. Curving around: a circumflex blood vessel.

[From Latin circumflexus, bent around, circumflex, past participle of circumflectere, to bend around : circum-, circum- + flectere, to bend.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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