circuit

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Related to circuits: Series and parallel circuits
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circuit
top: Bulbs in a series circuit are dim because electricity has to pass through every bulb in the circuit before returning to the battery.
bottom: Bulbs in a parallel circuit shine brightly because each bulb has its own circuit that connects directly to the battery.

cir·cuit

 (sûr′kĭt)
n.
1.
a. A closed, usually circular line that goes around an object or area. See Synonyms at circumference.
b. The region enclosed by such a line.
2.
a. A path or route the complete traversal of which without local change of direction requires returning to the starting point.
b. The act of following such a path or route.
c. A journey made on such a path or route.
3. Electronics
a. A closed path followed or capable of being followed by an electric current.
b. A configuration of electrically or electromagnetically connected components or devices.
4.
a. A regular or accustomed course from place to place; a round: a salesperson on the Detroit-Minneapolis-Chicago circuit; a popular speaker on the lecture circuit.
b. The area covered by such a course, especially by the judge or judges of a court.
5.
a. An association of theaters in which plays, acts, or films move from theater to theater for presentation.
b. A group of nightclubs, show halls, or resorts at which entertainers appear in turn.
c. A series of competitions held in different places.
intr. & tr.v. cir·cuit·ed, cir·cuit·ing, cir·cuits
To make a circuit or circuit of.

[Middle English, circumference, from Old French, from Latin circuitus, a going around, from past participle of circumīre, to go around : circum-, circum- + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

circuit

(ˈsɜːkɪt)
n
1.
a. a complete route or course, esp one that is curved or circular or that lies around an object
b. the area enclosed within such a route
2. the act of following such a route: we made three circuits of the course.
3. (Electronics)
a. a complete path through which an electric current can flow
b. (as modifier): a circuit diagram.
4.
a. a periodical journey around an area, as made by judges, salesmen, etc
b. the route traversed or places visited on such a journey
c. the persons making such a journey
5. (Protestantism) an administrative division of the Methodist Church comprising a number of neighbouring churches
6. (Law) English law one of six areas into which England is divided for the administration of justice
7. (Theatre) a number of theatres, cinemas, etc, under one management or in which the same film is shown or in which a company of performers plays in turn
8. (General Sporting Terms) sport
a. a series of tournaments in which the same players regularly take part: the international tennis circuit.
b. the circuit the contestants who take part in such a series
9. (Motor Racing) chiefly Brit a motor racing track, usually of irregular shape
vb
to make or travel in a circuit around (something)
[C14: from Latin circuitus a going around, from circumīre, from circum around + īre to go]
ˈcircuital adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cir•cuit

(ˈsɜr kɪt)

n.
1. an act or instance of going or moving around.
2. a circular journey; round.
3. a roundabout journey or course.
4.
a. a periodical journey from place to place, as by judges to hold court, ministers to preach, or salespeople covering a route.
b. the persons making such a journey.
c. the route followed or district covered.
5. the line bounding any area or object; the distance about an area or object.
6.
a. the complete path of an electric current, including the generating apparatus, intervening resistors, or capacitors.
b. any well-defined segment of a complete circuit.
7. a means of transmitting communication signals or messages, usu. comprising two channels for interactive communication.
8. a number of theaters, clubs, parks, or the like controlled by one management, devoted to one pursuit, or visited in turn by the same participants.
9. a league or association: a softball circuit.
v.t.
10. to go or move around; make the circuit of.
v.i.
11. to go or move in a circuit.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin circuitus, variant of circumitus circular motion, cycle <circu(m)i-, variant s. of circu(m)īre to go round, circle (circum- circum- + īre to go); compare ambit, exit1]
cir′cuit•al, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
click for a larger image
circuit
Bulbs in a series circuit (left) give off dim light since they each consume a portion of the power coming through a single circuit connected to the battery. In a parallel circuit (right) bulbs shine brightly since each is directly connected in its own circuit to the power source.

cir·cuit

(sûr′kĭt)
1. A closed path through which an electric current flows or may flow. ♦ Circuits in which a power source is connected to two or more components (such as light bulbs), one after the other, are called series circuits. If the circuit is broken, none of the components receives a current. Circuits in which a power source is directly connected to two or more components are called , parallel circuits. If a break occurs in the circuit, only the component along whose path the break occurs stops receiving a current.
2. A system of electrically connected parts or devices: a microchip containing all the circuits of a computer.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Circuit

 the action of moving round about; those persons making a circuit; used figuratively.
Examples: circuit of judges and barristers, 1494; of deductions, 1594; of reasoning, 1836; of speech, 1605; of words, 1672.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

circuit


Past participle: circuited
Gerund: circuiting

Imperative
circuit
circuit
Present
I circuit
you circuit
he/she/it circuits
we circuit
you circuit
they circuit
Preterite
I circuited
you circuited
he/she/it circuited
we circuited
you circuited
they circuited
Present Continuous
I am circuiting
you are circuiting
he/she/it is circuiting
we are circuiting
you are circuiting
they are circuiting
Present Perfect
I have circuited
you have circuited
he/she/it has circuited
we have circuited
you have circuited
they have circuited
Past Continuous
I was circuiting
you were circuiting
he/she/it was circuiting
we were circuiting
you were circuiting
they were circuiting
Past Perfect
I had circuited
you had circuited
he/she/it had circuited
we had circuited
you had circuited
they had circuited
Future
I will circuit
you will circuit
he/she/it will circuit
we will circuit
you will circuit
they will circuit
Future Perfect
I will have circuited
you will have circuited
he/she/it will have circuited
we will have circuited
you will have circuited
they will have circuited
Future Continuous
I will be circuiting
you will be circuiting
he/she/it will be circuiting
we will be circuiting
you will be circuiting
they will be circuiting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been circuiting
you have been circuiting
he/she/it has been circuiting
we have been circuiting
you have been circuiting
they have been circuiting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been circuiting
you will have been circuiting
he/she/it will have been circuiting
we will have been circuiting
you will have been circuiting
they will have been circuiting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been circuiting
you had been circuiting
he/she/it had been circuiting
we had been circuiting
you had been circuiting
they had been circuiting
Conditional
I would circuit
you would circuit
he/she/it would circuit
we would circuit
you would circuit
they would circuit
Past Conditional
I would have circuited
you would have circuited
he/she/it would have circuited
we would have circuited
you would have circuited
they would have circuited
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.circuit - an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flowcircuit - an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow
bridge circuit, bridge - a circuit consisting of two branches (4 arms arranged in a diamond configuration) across which a meter is connected
bridged-T - a circuit consisting of a T-network with an additional shunt bridging the two series circuits
capacitor, condenser, electrical condenser, capacitance - an electrical device characterized by its capacity to store an electric charge
choke, choke coil, choking coil - a coil of low resistance and high inductance used in electrical circuits to pass direct current and attenuate alternating current
closed circuit, loop - a complete electrical circuit around which current flows or a signal circulates
computer circuit - a circuit that is part of a computer
delay line - a circuit designed to introduce a calculated delay into the transmission of a signal
electrical device - a device that produces or is powered by electricity
electronic equipment - equipment that involves the controlled conduction of electrons (especially in a gas or vacuum or semiconductor)
feedback circuit, feedback loop - a circuit that feeds back some of the output to the input of a system
flip-flop - an electronic circuit that can assume either of two stable states
clipper, limiter - (electronics) a nonlinear electronic circuit whose output is limited in amplitude; used to limit the instantaneous amplitude of a waveform (to clip off the peaks of a waveform); "a limiter introduces amplitude distortion"
data link, link - an interconnecting circuit between two or more locations for the purpose of transmitting and receiving data
open circuit - an incomplete electrical circuit in which no current flows
pulse timing circuit - a circuit that times pulses
electrical relay, relay - electrical device such that current flowing through it in one circuit can switch on and off a current in a second circuit
resistor, resistance - an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current
resonant circuit, resonator - an electrical circuit that combines capacitance and inductance in such a way that a periodic electric oscillation will reach maximum amplitude
series circuit - a circuit having its parts connected serially
short circuit, short - accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference
electrical shunt, shunt, bypass - a conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current
squelch circuit, squelcher, squelch - an electric circuit that cuts off a receiver when the signal becomes weaker than the noise
tank circuit - an oscillatory circuit
T-network - a circuit formed by two equal series circuits with a shunt between them
electron tube, thermionic tube, thermionic vacuum tube, thermionic valve, vacuum tube, tube - electronic device consisting of a system of electrodes arranged in an evacuated glass or metal envelope
wiring - a circuit of wires for the distribution of electricity
2.circuit - a journey or route all the way around a particular place or areacircuit - a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area; "they took an extended tour of Europe"; "we took a quick circuit of the park"; "a ten-day coach circuit of the island"
walkabout - a walking trip or tour
journey, journeying - the act of traveling from one place to another
grand tour - a sightseeing tour of a building or institution
grand tour - an extended cultural tour of Europe taken by wealthy young Englishmen (especially in the 18th century) as part of their education
itineration - journeying from place to place preaching or lecturing; a preaching tour or lecturing tour
package holiday, package tour - a tour arranged by a travel agent; transportation and food and lodging are all provided at an inclusive price
pub crawl - a tour of bars or public houses (usually taking one drink at each stop)
whistle-stop tour - a tour by a candidate as part of a political campaign in which a series of small towns are visited; "in 1948 Truman crossed the country several times on his whistle-stop tours"
3.circuit - an established itinerary of venues or events that a particular group of people travel to; "she's a familiar name on the club circuit"; "on the lecture circuit"; "the judge makes a circuit of the courts in his district"; "the international tennis circuit"
itinerary, route, path - an established line of travel or access
4.circuit - the boundary line encompassing an area or object; "he had walked the full circumference of his land"; "a danger to all races over the whole circumference of the globe"
border, borderline, boundary line, delimitation, mete - a line that indicates a boundary
5.circuit - (law) a judicial division of a state or the United States (so-called because originally judges traveled and held court in different locations); one of the twelve groups of states in the United States that is covered by a particular circuit court of appeals
group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
6.circuit - a racetrack for automobile racescircuit - a racetrack for automobile races  
racecourse, racetrack, raceway, track - a course over which races are run
Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
7.circuit - movement once around a course; "he drove an extra lap just for insurance"
locomotion, travel - self-propelled movement
pace lap - the first lap of a car race that prepares the cars for a fast start
lap of honour, victory lap - a lap by the winning person or team run to celebrate the victory
Verb1.circuit - make a circuit; "They were circuiting about the state"
go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

circuit

noun
1. course, round, tour, track, route, journey I get asked this question a lot when I'm on the lecture circuit.
2. racetrack, course, track, racecourse the historic racing circuit at Brooklands
3. lap, round, tour, revolution, orbit, perambulation She made a slow circuit of the room.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

circuit

noun
1. A line around a closed figure or area:
2. A closed plane curve everywhere equidistant from a fixed point or something shaped like this:
Archaic: orb.
3. A course, process, or journey that ends where it began or repeats itself:
4. Circular movement around a point or about an axis:
5. An area regularly covered, as by a policeman or reporter:
6. A group of athletic teams that play each other:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
جَوْلَه، دَوْرَهدَائِرَة كَهْرَبائِيَّةدائِرَه كهربائيهطَواف، جَوْلَه طَويلَهمَسْلَكُ سِباقٍ دائِري
obvodokruhokružní cestakoloobchůzka
kredsløbomgangringrundturbane
piiri
strujni krug
áramkör
hlaupabrauthringferîhringrásrafrás, straumrás; rafleiîsla
一周
회로
aplinkinissukimasistrasažiedinis trekas
apbrauciensķēderegulārs brauciensriņķojumstreks
okružná cesta
krogkrogotok
bana
วงจร
mạch

circuit

[ˈsɜːkɪt]
A. N
1. (= route) → circuito m; (= course) → recorrido m; (= long way round) → rodeo m; (= lap by runner) → vuelta f
2. (Brit) (Jur) → distrito m
3. (Cine) → cadena f
4. (esp Brit) (= sports track) → pista f
5. (Aut, Elec) → circuito m
see also short-circuit
B. CPD circuit board N (Elec) → tarjeta f de circuitos
circuit breaker N (Elec) → cortacircuitos m inv
circuit court N (US) (Jur) → tribunal m superior
circuit switching network N (Elec) → red f de conmutación de circuito
circuit training N (Sport) → circuito m de entrenamiento
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

circuit

[ˈsɜːrkɪt] n
(electrical)circuit m
(SPORT) (= racetrack) → circuit m (= lap) → tour m
(= tour) → tour mcircuit board ncircuit m imprimé, carte f de circuit imprimécircuit breaker ndisjoncteur m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

circuit

n
(= journey around etc)Rundgang m/-fahrt f/-reise f(of um); to make a circuit of somethingum etw herumgehen/-fahren, einen Rundgang/eine Rundfahrt um etw machen; three circuits of the racetrackdrei Runden auf der Rennbahn; they made a wide circuit to avoid the enemysie machten einen großen Bogen um den Feind
(of judges etc)Gerichtsbezirk m; to go on circuitden (Gerichts)bezirk bereisen; he is on the eastern circuiter bereist or hat den östlichen (Gerichts)bezirk
(Theat) → Theaterring mor -kette f; to travel the circuitdie Theater (der Reihe nach) bereisen
(Elec) → Stromkreis m; (= apparatus)Schaltung f
(Sport: = track) → Rennbahn f
the professional golf/tennis circuitdie Golf-/Tennisturnierrunde (der Berufsspieler)
vt track, courseeine Runde drehen um

circuit

:
circuit board
n (Tech) → Platine f, → Leiterplatte f
circuit breaker
nStromkreisunterbrecher m
circuit court
n Bezirksgericht, das an verschiedenen Orten eines Gerichtsbezirks Sitzungen abhält
circuit diagram
nSchaltplan m
circuit judge
nRichter man einem Bezirksgericht
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

circuit

[ˈsɜːkɪt] n (journey around) → giro (Sport, Elec) → circuito; (of judge) → distretto giudiziario (Cine) → rete f di distribuzione
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

circuit

(ˈsəːkit) noun
1. a journey or course round something. the earth's circuit round the sun; three circuits of the race-track.
2. a race-track, running-track etc.
3. the path of an electric current and the parts through which it passes.
4. a journey or tour made regularly and repeatedly eg by salesmen, sportsmen etc.
circuitous (səːˈkjuitəs) adjective
round-about; not direct. a circuitous route.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

circuit

دَائِرَة كَهْرَبائِيَّة obvod kredsløb Umkreis κύκλωμα circuito piiri circuit strujni krug circuito 一周 회로 circuit krets obwód circuito электрическая цепь bana วงจร devre mạch 电路
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

cir·cuit

n. circuito, vuelta, rotación.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
O my soul, I have given thee new names and gay-coloured playthings, I have called thee "Fate" and "the Circuit of circuits" and "the Navel-string of time" and "the Azure bell."
that's only a republican word for 'master.' Now, Judge Latitat is MY boss, and a very good one he is, with the exception of his sitting so late at night at his infernal circuits, by the light of miserable tallow candles.
They were nearly exhausted, and it was only a matter of a few more circuits, when the game took on a new feature.
The route of the travellers lay generally along the course of the Nebraska or Platte, but occasionally, where steep promontories advanced to the margin of the stream, they were obliged to make inland circuits. One of these took them through a bold and stern country, bordered by a range of low mountains, running east and west.
That's the difference between the jumpers I turn out and some of these dub amateur-jumping outfits that fail to make good even on the bush circuits."
But, though he was only half-way by the difference of meridians, he had really gone over two-thirds of the whole journey; for he had been obliged to make long circuits from London to Aden, from Aden to Bombay, from Calcutta to Singapore, and from Singapore to Yokohama.
This process, however, afforded me no means of ascertaining the dimensions of my dungeon; as I might make its circuit, and return to the point whence I set out, without being aware of the fact; so perfectly uniform seemed the wall.
Taking a wide circuit round the ultimate tracks, so as to leave them undisturbed for further examination, the man proceeded to the spring, the girl following, weak and terrified.
Still calling at intervals, but now with a moderated voice, he made the hasty circuit of the garden, and finding neither man nor trace of man in all its evergreen coverts, turned at last to the house.
He without replying a word took the rope off his wrist, and rising to his feet leaped upon Rocinante, braced his buckler on his arm, put his lance in rest, and making a considerable circuit of the plain came back at a half-gallop exclaiming:
Bulstrode's eyes, which were rather fine, rolled round that ample quilled circuit, while she spoke.
Two hours, passed in the utmost diligence, enabled them to make a half circuit around the rock, and to reach a point that was exactly opposite to the original direction of their flight.