Essential Greek and Latin Roots for Twelfth Grade Students: circum

circum (around) + ferre (to carry) + ence (suffix forming abstract nouns)
Latin had the verb "circumferre" which meant "to carry around, lead around, take around." While the meaning of "ferre" carried over into other English words (transfer/transference, infer/inference), it no longer connects to "circumference" (pi times diameter), which only has a noun form that is focused on size rather than action.

circum (around) + loqui (to speak) + ion (suffix forming nouns)
To make the point with more synonymous repetition, these words could be added: No periphrasis, no euphemisms. The list mostly describes roundabout ways of talking often used to avoid hurt feelings (rhetoric is fancy language often used to impress, persuade, or confuse). Lumped negatively together, they emphasize a company's value of straightforward honesty (candor) over sensitivity.

circum (around) + navis (ship) + agere (to drive)
As the roots, definition, and example sentence show, circumnavigation usually involves a vehicle and its route usually covers the entire world. But the word can also generally refer to the act of going around something rather than through it (unlike circumvention, this is often seen as going around goal-blocking obstacles rather than avoiding something that is required).

circum (around) + scribere (to write)
The example sentence suggests that a road trip is a wild adventure into the unknown. For a less paradoxical road trip, one could first take a map, literally circumscribe it (draw a circle or line around specific points), and follow the planned routes within the circumscribed space of a car.

circum (around) + specere (to look)
Do not confuse this with the adjective "suspect." Something that is suspect might seem untrustworthy or wrong, but this is a feeling that is not always based on facts. Someone who is circumspect is careful, and this approach is usually based on previous knowledge. The definition of the noun "circumspection" is "knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress."

circum (around) + stare (to stand)
This general meaning of the word is not part of the pomp and circumstance you might hear and see at a graduation (that is an outdated usage that means "formal ceremony about important occasions"). The addition of the "s" indicates more than one condition, which differs from these definitions of "circumstances": "one's overall condition in life" and "a person's financial situation."

circum (around) + stare (to stand) + al (suffix forming adjectives)
Another definition is "including the details of a specific event or situation." This sounds like the opposite of the chosen definition. But when considered separately from the whole situation, details are small facts that might have some truth but would not be enough to prove that something is beyond a reasonable doubt. To convict or convince, conclusive evidence is required.

circum (around) + venire (to come)
In military usage, the verb connects directly to its roots: a circumventing army can force its enemy to give up, not by avoiding it, but by completely surrounding it. In the example sentence, the verb is figuratively used to describe going around something. This type of circumvention sometimes suggests a sense of doing wrong by not doing something required; but if done well, it can also be seen as a victory achieved through cleverness and wit.