circumvenire

Circumvenire is a Latin verb of the fourth conjugation meaning to come around, to surround, or more broadly to get around an obstacle. In military contexts it commonly denotes encircling an enemy or a position; in figurative use it can mean to circumvent, outflank, or outwit a person, rule, or plan.

Etymology and forms: the word is built from circum- “around” plus venire “to come.” It is a transitive verb and takes a direct object in the accusative. Its present active first person singular is circumvenio and in the perfect active the form is circumvenivi or circumvenii, with the supine circumventum. The present passive is circumvenior, with other forms such as circumveniris, circumvenitur. The participle is circumventus, and there is a related noun circumventio or circumventus used in some contexts.

Usage and senses: physically, circumvenire means to surround or encircle a target, as in Exercitus castra circumvenit (The army surrounds the camp). Figuratively, it can describe evading or bypassing a rule, law, or objection, for example Caesar circumvenit legem (Caesar circumvents the law). The passive sense, “to be surrounded” or “to be circumvented,” is common in prose as Lex circumvenitur (The law is circumvented). The term is often contrasted with other circumscribing verbs such as circumscribere or circumdare, depending on nuance.

Related forms and notes: the noun forms circumventio or circumventus appear in Latin discussions of strategy or rhetoric. Circumvenire is well attested in classical authors and remains a standard example of a productive 4th-conjugation verb with the prefix circum- indicating encirclement or circumvention.