Circuit: A Loop You Come Back Around
A circuit is a path that returns to where it started. Electricity, motor racing, courts and comedy venues all use the word, and each keeps the idea of a closed loop.
A circuit goes round and comes back. That is not decoration but definition: an electrical circuit only works if the path is complete, which is why a break anywhere in the loop stops everything.
- A closed path for electric current. *A short circuit tripped the fuse.*
- A racing track. *A lap of the circuit.*
- A regular round of places. *The comedy circuit.*
- A judicial district. *A circuit judge.*
- One round of exercises. *Circuit training.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | circuit | A printed circuit board. |
| Adjective | circuitous | A circuitous route. |
| Verb | circle | Circle the block. |
| Compound | short circuit | A short circuit in the wiring. |
| Compound | circuit breaker | The circuit breaker tripped. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Check the circuit before replacing the bulb.The electrical sense.
- She has played the festival circuit for years.A regular round of venues.
- The case went to a circuit court.From judges who once travelled a circuit of towns.
Why judges ride a circuit
- Medieval English judges travelled a fixed round of assize towns
- The route was called a circuit, and the name attached to the court
- American federal appeals courts still divide the country into numbered circuits
- Barristers in England still belong to circuits, long after the travelling stopped
From Latin *circuitus*, a going around, from *circum* (around) and *ire* (to go). The electrical sense is nineteenth century and the newest of the family, but it has become the one most people think of first.
What is a short circuit?
A connection that lets current bypass the intended path, usually with a sudden surge that blows a fuse or trips a breaker.
Circuit or track?
In motorsport both are used. Circuit implies a closed loop; a track can be a straight drag strip or a point-to-point stage.