zatoczy

Zatoczy is a Polish verb form. It is the third-person singular form of the perfective verb zatoczyć, which means to move in a circle, to turn in a curve, or to swerve, typically in reference to a moving object such as a vehicle. The prefix za- added to toczyć (to roll) conveys completing a circular motion. As a perfective verb, zatoczyć describes a single, completed action; its present tense form zatoczy is used to express a future action in everyday speech. The corresponding past forms are zatoczył (masculine), zatoczyła (feminine), and zatoczyło (neuter).

In practice, zatoczyć is most often used for literal turning motions: "Samochód zatoczył krąg na rondzie" meaning the car made a wide turn on the roundabout. It can also describe a person’s turn in a physical sense, such as "zatoczył łuk," or in the idiomatic expression "zatoczyć koło," meaning to come full circle or to return to a previous situation. The imperfective counterpart toczyć is used for repeated or ongoing actions, while zatoczyć emphasizes completion.

Zatoczyć is related to the root toczyć and to related phrases such as zatoczyć koło and come full circle, which are used in both literal and figurative contexts. The term appears in standard Polish usage across narrative, journalism, and everyday speech to describe turning movements or metaphorical returns to earlier states.