{"word":"circumscribe","date":"2026-08-15","partOfSpeech":"verb","pronunciation":"SER-kum-skrybe","definition":"to limit the range or activity of something","example":"The president’s decision-making power was carefully circumscribed by the company’s board.","etymology":"The word circumscribe comes from Latin, where it is a combination of circum, meaning around, and scribere, meaning to write or draw, originally meaning to draw a line around. It entered English in the 15th century, initially used in geometric contexts to describe drawing a shape around another, later expanding to its current figurative sense.","source":"merriam-webster","sourceUrl":"https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/circumscribe-2026-08-15","fetchedAt":"2026-08-15T19:04:18.963Z","cached":true}