Circumbendibus
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A roundabout route or process humorous, often
"If, as Coleridge says, “a knave is a fool with a circumbendibus,” then by instructing the knave you do but make the circumbendibus a wider one."
- 2 A roundabout, indirect, or confusing manner of speech or writing humorous, often
- 1 indirect or roundabout humorous, often
"“We’re all circumbendibus, / Wherever we may be, / We’re all circumbendibus, / On land or on sea. / Rich or poor or middling, / Wherever we are found, / We’re all circumbendibus, / We’re all going round.”"
Example
More examples"“We’re all circumbendibus, / Wherever we may be, / We’re all circumbendibus, / On land or on sea. / Rich or poor or middling, / Wherever we are found, / We’re all circumbendibus, / We’re all going round.”"
Etymology
* From Latin circum (“round about”) (compare English circum-) + English bend + Latin -ibus
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.