Circuitous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /sɜːˈkjuːɪtəs/

Definitions

1. Following a route that is longer than the most direct path between two points
2. Describing a course or method that deliberately avoids directness or straightforwardness
3. Taking a roundabout or indirect way that extends the travel or explanation beyond the shortest option

Etymology: The adjective "circuitous" was first recorded in English in 1664, and its shape gives away its route: the word began as a Latin description of anything that wanders around rather than going straight. Latin "circuitus" meant a going around, a circular course, and it was built from "circum" ("around") and "eo" ("to go"). The Latin adjective "circuitosus" carried that sense of winding roundabout motion into English, so a road or an argument that loops back on itself could be called circuitous. English speakers often assume the word is a plain combination of "circuit" and "-ous", and that is how it looks on the surface. The real link runs back through the Latin verb, and "circuit" in English comes from the same source, so the two words are relatives rather than parent and child. Both carry the original picture of going around something, which is why an electrical circuit and a meandering detour share a common core.

Synonyms: indirect, roundabout, devious, twisted, meandering

Antonyms: direct, straight, clear, unambiguous, linear