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circumvent: msg#00005

culture.language.word-of-the-day

Subject: circumvent

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The Word of the Day for December 6 is:

circumvent \ser-kum-VENT\ verb
1 : to hem in
2 : to make a circuit around
*3 : to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or
stratagem

Example sentence:
The corporation was always trying to circumvent tax laws by
exploiting the loopholes.

Did you know?
If you've ever felt as if someone were circling around the
rules, you have an idea of the origins of "circumvent" -- it
derives from the Latin "circum," meaning "circle," and "ventus,"
the past participle of the Latin verb "venire," meaning "to
come." The earliest uses of "circumvent" referred to a tactic of
hunting or warfare in which the quarry or enemy was encircled
and captured. Today, however, "circumvent" more often suggests
avoidance than entrapment; it typically means to "get around"
someone or something, as in our example sentence.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.






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