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Joined: Jul 2008
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jul 2008
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In my experience as a science editor, scholarly and scientific publishers I've worked with restrict the use of "circa" to years or dates: circa 1940, circa 3500 BCE, circa 250 MYA. In other contexts "approximately" or "about" or the approximate symbol (tilde) "~" is preferred: approximately 170 hectares, about two weeks ago, ~50 ft.
Last edited by M. McQuoid; 11/06/08 05:04 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
As far as I recall, I too have only seen it used with dates.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Me too, or neither as the case may be.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Certainly any editor is free to make any sort of style decisions regarding the scope of any term such as circa. The B&M OED notes that, as a prepostion, it is often used with dates. It also notes that it is used as a combining form, citing an example in circa-continental. However it simply means 'around, round about, about' and, as such I am sure it has been used more generally. I see no reason, in any linguistic sense, why it shouldn't. The first ten hits for circa acres include five for uses where the acreage being talked about is approximate.
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Joined: Aug 2002
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
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Oh, I thought it was circum-continental, tho' I have never seen it in writing to check.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Circum-continental is the singular.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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what a noisy hyphen
"Do you hear the hyphens, Clarisse?" And what about the em dashes?
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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just a smidge, or perhaps a pinch.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Aug 2005
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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FWIW, the Latin preposition circa (which governs the accusative case) is not limited to being used with time. It can mean 'around, among, surrounding; escorting (of persons); near, neighboring; nearly, almost' etc.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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