ˈsə:kɪt n. 1 a a line or
course enclosing an
area;
the distance round. b the area enclosed. 2 Electr. a the
path of a
current. b the
apparatus through which a current passes. 3 a the
journey of a
judge in a
particular district to hold courts. b
this district. c the lawyers
following a circuit. 4 a
chain of theatres or cinemas etc.
under a
single management. 5
Brit. a motor-racing track. 6 a a
sequence of
sporting events (the US
tennis circuit). b a sequence of
athletic exercises. 7 a
roundabout journey. 8 a a
group of
local Methodist churches forming a
minor administrative unit. b the journey of an
itinerant minister within this. øcircuit-breaker an
automatic device for stopping the
flow of current in an
electrical circuit. [ME f.
OF, f. L circuitus f. CIRCUM+
ire itgo]