Home › Glossary › Letter C

circus

Games
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Circus is a circular arena for equestrian and other spectacles in ancient Rome, or a modern traveling show of performers.

Detailed Definition
Circus appears in poetry as a dual emblem of the ancient race and the modern parade of wonders. In literary contexts it represents the circling display. Poets invoke the circus to illustrate themes of the endless circuit, the exotic act, and the cultural space that has fused the Roman track with the tented show in the poetry of spectacle and motion.
Example
Example in poetry:
The circus of ancient races or modern tents supplies poets with images of circling spectacle; Verse places the chariots or the acrobats inside the continuous round; “The circus turned and the dust rose like applause” illustrates endless display; Educational lines show the double life of the word across Roman and contemporary scenes; Poets invoke the circus when the performance must never reach a final edge.
Additional Notes
The circus, whether Roman race-track or modern tented spectacle, supplies poets with an image of continuous circular display. The word’s double history allows movement between imperial and popular registers. Classroom discussion can explore how the circling chariots or the circling acts create different models of repetition and spectacle. Related spaces include the hippodrome and the amphitheatre. The image is effective when the performance must never reach a final edge.
Also Known As
Performance Ring Entertainment Arena Showground
Skip to main content