circumscription

English

Etymology

Latin circumscrīptiō.

Noun

circumscription (countable and uncountable, plural circumscriptions)

1. The act of circumscribing or the quality of being circumscribed.
2. Anything that circumscribes or a circumscribed area.
3. (taxonomy) The definition of what does and does not belong to a given taxon, from a particular taxonomic viewpoint or taxonomic system.

   The circumscription in the APG system of the family Malvaceae includes the former families Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae.

4. An electoral district; used often in texts treating electoral systems in Romance countries.

Related terms

• circumscribe

Translations

act of circumscribing; quality of being circumscribed

• Afrikaans: omskrywing (af)
• Estonian: piiramine
• Finnish: ympyröinti (fi)
• Galician: circunscrición (gl) f
• Italian: circoscrizione (it) f
• Portuguese: circunscrição (pt) f
• Spanish: circunscripción (es)

anything that circumscribes or a circumscribed area

• Finnish: ympyröinti (fi)
• Galician: circunscrición (gl) f
• Italian: circoscrizione (it) f
• Portuguese: circunscrição (pt) f

taxonomy: definition of what belongs in a taxon

• Finnish: rajaus (fi)
• Galician: circunscrición (gl) f
• Italian: circoscrizione (it) f
• Portuguese: circunscrição (pt) f

electoral district — see electoral district