Circularly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Moving around in a round or curved path ; using reasoning that depends on the conclusion as a premise
2. Following a curve or circuitous route ; employing a logical fallacy where the argument assumes what it tries to prove
3. Proceeding along or involving a repetitive round motion ; inferring something by basing it on itself rather than independent evidence

Etymology: "Circularly" is a plain formation: the adjective "circular" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached, meaning "in a circular manner." The adjective came into English from Old French "circuler" (the Old French form of Latin "circularis," from "circulus," "little circle"), and "-ly" is the Old English suffix that turns adjectives into adverbs. The adverb itself took shape in Middle English as "circulerlich," which shows the same pattern of adding a suffix to the adjective. The word's two senses come from different directions. The literal sense, moving or arranged in a circle or around a curving route, stays close to the geometric root. The logical-fallacy sense, as in arguing that a claim is true because it is assumed in the premises, grows from the same image: an argument that loops back to its starting point, so that the conclusion is already hidden in the premises. The word's meaning has thus moved from a shape to a fault in reasoning.

Synonyms: roundly, orbitally, revolvingly

Antonyms: linearly, straightly