around
/əˈɹaʊnd/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.77 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
prep
Forming a circle or closed curve containing (something).
prep
prep
Near; in the vicinity of; approximately.
prep
At or to various places within or throughout.
Example Sentences
- "She wore a gold chain around her neck."
- "I planted a row of lilies around the statue."
- "The jackals began to gather around the carcass."
- "Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal."
- "We could use some clarification around the new rules."
- "There has been a lot of controversy around the handling of personal information."
Etymology
From Middle English around, arounde, from a- (from Old English a- (“on, at”)) + Middle English round (“circle, round”) borrowed from French, equivalent to a- + round. Cognate with Scots aroond, aroon (“around”). Displaced earlier Middle English umbe, embe (“around”) (from Old English ymbe (“around”)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈɹaʊnd/
- British English: /əˈɹaʊnd/