Meaning & use
circumambulation
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountableformal
The act of walking around something, especially as a religious or ceremonial practice.
Grammar: Can be countable (a circumambulation) or uncountable (the act of circumambulation).
Patterns
- the circumambulation of something
- perform a circumambulation
The circumambulation of the shrine takes about an hour.
Pilgrims perform a circumambulation of the Kaaba seven times.
The ceremony includes a circumambulation of the church.
Word forms
| plural | circumambulations |
|---|
Common combinations
- ritual circumambulation
- Ritual circumambulation is central to the festival.
- circumambulation of the shrine
- The circumambulation of the shrine is done clockwise.
- perform a circumambulation
- They perform a circumambulation at dawn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- walking around
- The everyday phrase; 'circumambulation' is formal and often religious.
- circumvention
- Means 'going around' in the sense of avoiding something, not a physical walk.
Word family
- circumambulate verb
- To walk around something, especially as a ritual.
- circumambulatory adjective
- Relating to walking around; rare.
Commonly confused: circumambulation or circumnavigation?
circumambulation vs circumnavigation
Means traveling all the way around something, especially the world, usually by ship or aircraft.
Practice
The ritual involves a ___ of the temple three times.
Choose one answer.
After the article 'a', we need a noun, so 'circumambulation' is correct. 'Circumambulate' is a verb and cannot follow 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “circumambulation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.