circumpolar

English

Circumpolar stars in a 30 min. exposure

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.

Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos)bor.

Latin circus

Latin circum

Latin circum-bor.

English circum-

Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-der.

Proto-Indo-European *kʷól-os

Proto-Hellenic *pólos

Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos)der.

Latin polus

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Late Latin polārislbor.

English polar

English circumpolar

From circum- + polar.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌsɜː.kʌmˈpəʊ.lə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌsɝ.kʌmˈpoʊ.lɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊlə(ɹ), -oʊlə(ɹ)

Adjective

circumpolar (not comparable)

1. Located or found throughout a polar region.
2. (astronomy) Of a celestial body, continually visible above the horizon during the entire 360 degrees of daily travel.

   a circumpolar star

Derived terms

• noncircumpolar

Translations

located or found throughout a polar region

• Catalan: circumpolar
• Dutch: circumpolair (nl)
• Ido: cirkumpola (io)
• Irish: impholach
• Persian: پیراقطبی (pirâqotbi)
• Polish: okołobiegunowy (pl)
• Portuguese: circumpolar
• Swedish: cirkumpolär (sv)

continually visible above the horizon

• Irish: timpholach
• Polish: okołobiegunowy (pl)
• Swedish: cirkumpolär (sv)

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Portuguese circum-

Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-der.

Proto-Indo-European *kʷól-os

Proto-Hellenic *pólos

Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos)der.

Latin polus

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Late Latin polārislbor.

Portuguese polar

Portuguese circumpolar

From circum- + polar.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /siʁ.kũ.poˈlaʁ/ [sih.kũ.poˈlah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /siʁ.kũ.poˈlaʁ/ [sih.kũ.poˈlah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /siɾ.kũ.poˈlaɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /siʁ.kũ.poˈlaʁ/ [siχ.kũ.poˈlaχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /siɻ.kũ.poˈlaɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /siɾ.kũ.puˈlaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /siɾ.kũ.puˈlaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /siɾ.kũ.puˈla.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: cir‧cum‧po‧lar

Adjective

circumpolar m or f (plural circumpolares)

1. circumpolar (located throughout a polar region)
2. (astronomy) circumpolar

Further reading

• “circumpolar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “circumpolar”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2026
• “circumpolar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “circumpolar”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “circumpolar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “circumpolar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French circumpolaire.

Adjective

circumpolar m or n (feminine singular circumpolară, masculine plural circumpolari, feminine/neuter plural circumpolare)

1. circumpolar

Declension

Declension of circumpolar

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	circumpolar		circumpolară	circumpolari	circumpolare
	definite	circumpolarul		circumpolara	circumpolarii	circumpolarele
genitive- dative	indefinite	circumpolar		circumpolare	circumpolari	circumpolare
	definite	circumpolarului		circumpolarei	circumpolarilor	circumpolarelor

Spanish

Etymology

From circun- + polar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θiɾkumpoˈlaɾ/ [θiɾ.kũm.poˈlaɾ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /siɾkumpoˈlaɾ/ [siɾ.kũm.poˈlaɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: cir‧cum‧po‧lar

Adjective

circumpolar m or f (masculine and feminine plural circumpolares)

1. (astronomy, etc.) circumpolar

Further reading

• “circumpolar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025