circumscription.

1. The act or result of setting limits or boundaries around something.

2. The specification of which organisms or forms are included within a taxonomic group.

3. The drawing or construction of a figure around another so that it encloses and touches it under specified geometric conditions.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• circumscription of powers
• legal circumscription

On the page

The circumscription of her powers left every urgent decision to the absent council.

He accepted a legal circumscription of the role rather than an informal promise of restraint.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Usually uncountable; plural circumscriptions for separate acts or limits. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.