First published 1889; not yet revised

circapreposition & adverb

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency

Quotations

Hide all quotations

Factsheet

What does the word circa mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the word circa. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

See meaning & use

How common is the word circa?

About 3occurrences per million words in modern written English

1860	1.6
1870	1.5
1880	1.4
1890	1.5
1900	1.5
1910	1.7
1920	1.5
1930	1.7
1940	2.0
1950	2.2
1960	2.3
1970	2.3
1980	2.6
1990	2.8
2000	3.0
2010	3.0

See frequency

How is the word circa pronounced?

British English

/ˈsəːkə/

SUR-kuh

U.S. English

/ˈsərkə/

SUR-kuh

See pronunciation

Where does the word circa come from?

Earliest known use

1860s

The earliest known use of the word circa is in the 1860s.

OED's earliest evidence for circa is from 1861, in National Review.

circa is a borrowing from Latin.

See etymology

Nearby entries

ciphering, n.1536–
ciphering, adj.1825–
cipherize, v.c1674
cipher-key, n.1834–
cipher officer, n.1915–
cipher-tunnel, n.1655
cipier, n.1671
cipolin, n.1798–
cipper-nut, n.1653–1861
cippus, n.a1637–
circa, prep. & adv.1861–
circadian, adj.1959–
circar, n.1784–
circary, n.1884
Circassian, n. & adj.1555–
Circe, n.c1405–
Circean, adj.1609–
circene, adj.1577
circensial, adj.a1682
circensian, adj.1598–
circinal, adj.1880–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary

To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.

View our subscription options

Personal account

Access or purchase personal subscriptions
Get our newsletter
Save searches
Set display preferences

Institutional access

Recommend to your librarian

Institutional account management

Meaning & use

Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary

To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.

View our subscription options

Personal account

Access or purchase personal subscriptions
Get our newsletter
Save searches
Set display preferences

Institutional access

Recommend to your librarian

Institutional account management

Pronunciation

Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary

To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.

View our subscription options

Personal account

Access or purchase personal subscriptions
Get our newsletter
Save searches
Set display preferences

Institutional access

Recommend to your librarian

Institutional account management

Frequency

Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary

To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.

View our subscription options

Personal account

Access or purchase personal subscriptions
Get our newsletter
Save searches
Set display preferences

Institutional access

Recommend to your librarian

Institutional account management

Entry history for circa, prep. & adv.

circa, prep. & adv. was first published in 1889; not yet revised.

circa, prep. & adv. was last modified in September 2023.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into circa, prep. & adv. in September 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1889)

Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

Find out more
View circa, prep. and adv. in OED Second Edition

Cite

Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

Copied to clipboard

MLA9

“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

Copied to clipboard

Select format to download citation

Contribute

Please submit your feedback for circa, prep. & adv.

Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your
feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose.

Section (required)

Feedback (required)

Citation details

Factsheet for circa, prep. & adv.

Browse entry

Nearby entries

ciphering, n.1536–
ciphering, adj.1825–
cipherize, v.c1674
cipher-key, n.1834–
cipher officer, n.1915–
cipher-tunnel, n.1655
cipier, n.1671
cipolin, n.1798–
cipper-nut, n.1653–1861
cippus, n.a1637–
circa, prep. & adv.1861–
circadian, adj.1959–
circar, n.1784–
circary, n.1884
Circassian, n. & adj.1555–
Circe, n.c1405–
Circean, adj.1609–
circene, adj.1577
circensial, adj.a1682
circensian, adj.1598–
circinal, adj.1880–

Browse more nearby entries