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circunscribir

to circumscribe

verb seer-koons-kree-BEER Rare

Origin: From Latin circumscribere 'to draw a line around'.

Also means

to confine

Usage Note

Circunscribir means to limit or confine something within a boundary, literally or figuratively. It is a formal verb common in academic and legal writing: circunscribir el debate a un tema (to limit the debate to one topic). The past participle is irregular: circunscrito (not circunscribido), and both forms coexist in practice.

Examples

"El debate se circunscribió al ámbito económico."

Natural Translation

The debate was confined to the economic sphere.

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