circumscribe | BrE ˈsəːkəmskrʌɪb, AmE ˈsərkəmˌskraɪb | transitive verb ① formal (limit) 限制 xiànzhì ‹freedom›; 限定 xiàndìng ‹role›; 约束 yuēshù ‹powers›▸ a life circumscribed by poverty 受制于贫困的生活 ② Mathematics 画…的外接图形 huà… de wàijiē túxíng ▸ to circumscribe an ellipse around a rhombus 画菱形的外接椭圆 |