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Circus, the Word
Our English noun circus descends from the name of one building in ancient Rome, namely, the Circus Maximus, Latin, literally ‘the largest exhibition space for public spectacles.’ Chariot races, gladiatorial combats, athletic competitions, wild-animal spectacles, Christiani ad leones (Christian martyrs fed to starved lions) all took place within the stone oval surrounded by stone tiers of seating.
The first use of circus recorded in English is in a work by Chaucer written
around 1380 and probably refers to the Circus Maximus in Rome. At the right is a modern ikon depicting the martyrdom of Saint Ignatius, said to be the first Christian fed to the lions in Rome.
The Circus Maximus at its largest expansion under the emperor Trajan held more spectators than any other building ever built then or since, approximately 250,000 Romans crammed in. The Roman satirist Juvenal sourly but correctly saw that the blood-soaked sands of the Circus Maximus and the Coliseum were free entertainment conceived to distract a poor and starving Roman underclass. Juvenal dismissed the gladiatorial gore as mere panem et circenses. Although the phrase’s literal translation is ‘bread and gladiator shows,’ today we might translate it freely as something like “free bread and wrestling matches,” something to keep the starving masses happy for a few hours. Is reality-show television much different? A distraction for the unemployed dummies so they will sit still while the wealthy and the powerful pickpocket what’s left in their patched jeans?
A model of the Circus Maximus
The Etymology of Circus
Latin circus ‘circle, ring’ looks like it was borrowed directly from the ancient Greek word κíρκος kirkos ‘ring’ ‘round area.’ But it may be simply cognate, that is, sprung from the same Indo-European root as circus, that is, *kerk. This Proto-Indo-European etymon itself may be a reduplicated then clipped form of the simpler root *ker ‘roundish, oblong, ovoid, curled, so that it appeared as *kerker or *kirkir ‘truly round, hence circular, then was clipped to *kerk. Just a guess, folks, but — an incredibly learned one! Other etymologists say the PIE root is the simple *(s)ker ‘to bend, to turn.’ I like my hypothetical construct better. Remember that reduplication in Indo-European languages often is used solely to emphasize the semantic force of the plainer, simpler root.
Also cognate with the Greek and Latin forms are such words as krevas Lithuanian ‘crooked,’ krivoi Russian ‘curved, crooked’ and other akin Greek words like korone ‘ring, crown, chaplet.’ Latin curuus is cognate, giving English forms like curved. Another Latin word is probably cognate too, cirrus ‘curl, lock of hair’ which gives us cirrocumulus clouds, cirrate, and cirriform, most of the English derivatives being scientific terms.
Latin circus gave rise to the preposition, originally an adverb, circum ‘around’ with all its dozens of English derivatives like circumstance, circumference, circumcise, circumspect and circumvent. Circuire Latin ‘to go around’ leads ultimately to English circuit.
Many other languages have borrowed circus as a show term: French cirque, Polish cyrk, and on the left a Czech circus poster featuring a circus of bears.
German is Zirkus, Modern Greek tsirko, Lithuanian cirkas, Spanish circo, and Welsh syrcas.
Interesting Words Related to Latin Circus
1. In Britain, circus may refer to a circular intersection of streets. Think of Piccadilly Circus in central London.
2. Chercher French ‘to search’ ultimately from circare Latin ‘to go around, to go around looking for things’. Do it twice and it is rechercher. The French words were borrowed into English as search and research! English has borrowed a past participle from rechercher, so that recherché in English means ‘sought out and thus rare,’ ‘too refined,’ ‘too elegant,’ ‘of studied elegance rather than naturally elegant,’ ‘researched rather than natural.’
3. Circle comes through Norman-French cercle from the Latin diminutive of circus, circulus, root of English words like circulate, circulation, encircle and circlet.
4. Circadian rhythms endure through one day, from circa Latin ‘around’ + dia Latin ‘day.’
One of Marc Chagall's many vertiginous circus delights
And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, as ringmaster of this prodigious, three-ringed display of philological prowess, I declare this circus performance to be complete, and I say to you all, “This way to the egress!”
