Word of the Day
: January 6, 2024circumspect
playWhat It Means
Someone described as circumspect is careful to consider all circumstances and risks before doing or saying something.
// They are circumspect in all their business dealings.
circumspect in Context
"As a narrator, [Martin] Baron is at once circumspect—his memoir reveals nearly nothing of his life outside the newsroom—and brimming with astringent disclosure." — Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023
Did You Know?
Circumspect may not be the most common of words, but its Latin forebears have made quite a mark on our language. That's because circumspect combines two major players in the Latin branch of the English language's pedigree: circum-, meaning "around," and specere, meaning "to look." Just look around, and you'll find that English is brimming with descendants of these Latin gems. Open your paper dictionary to circumspect and behold with your own eyes the thirty circum- entries that surround it, such as circumference, circumscribe, and circumnavigate. Then flip on over to spectacular for a little peek at the many words for which English has specere to thank, including spectacle, spectrum, and spectator. Latin lovers: we see you!
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Test Your Vocabulary
Rearrange the letters to reveal a word that means "with extreme care concerning the result of a movement or action," or, in other words, "very cautiously and carefully": RINGGYEL
VIEW THE ANSWER
