circlet

/ˈsʌrklət/

Other forms: circlets

Use the noun circlet to describe something that's shaped like a little circle. You might shape a circlet of greens to hang on your door as a wreath.

Circlet is an old-fashioned word for a small circle. You could talk about a bride putting a circlet of gold on her groom's finger, or describe a doughnut as a circlet of sweet dough fried in hot oil. Classically, a circlet referred to a crown — a circle made of fine metal and jewels. The Latin root, circus, means "ring," and the French cerclet came later, to mean a smaller ring or circle.

Definitions of circlet

1. noun

   a small circle
   type of:

   circle

   ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
2. noun

   decorated metal band worn around the head
   type of:

   adornment

   a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness