circus

Etymology

From Latin circus (“ring, circle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-, *ker- (“to turn, to bend”). Doublet of cirque. Displaced native Old English hringsetl (literally “ring seat”).

noun

1. A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent.
   The circus will be in town next week.
2. A round open space in a town or city where multiple streets meet.
   Oxford Circus in London is at the north end of Regent Street.
3. (figurative) A spectacle; a noisy fuss; a chaotic and/or crowded place.
   The village would be turned into a circus over this. He groaned, it was just the sort of case the media had a field day over. He had to get the whole thing sorted fast before anyone got wind of it. 2009, Christine Brooks, A Quiet Village, page 81
4. (historical) In the ancient Roman Empire, a building for chariot racing.
5. (military, World War II) A code name for bomber attacks with fighter escorts in the day time. The attacks were against short-range targets with the intention of occupying enemy fighters and keeping their fighter units in the area concerned.
6. (obsolete) Circuit; space; enclosure.
   The narrow circus of my dungeon wall. 1817, Lord Byron, The Lament of Tasso

verb

1. To take part in a circus; or to be displayed as if in a circus