Circa 547420 221099471 2008-06-23T01:29:59Z 72.83.157.252 {{otheruses}} {{wikt}} '''Circa''' (often abbreviated '''c.''', '''ca.''', '''ca''' or '''cca.''' and sometimes [[italicized]] to show it is [[Latin]]) literally means "about" or "around". It is widely used in [[genealogy]] and historical writing, when the dates of events are ''approximately'' known. For example, an encyclopedia entry for [[Genghis Khan]] may begin with "Genghis Khan (c. 1162 – August 18, 1227)", suggesting that he was born in or around the year 1162. Note that the year of his death appears as a concrete date suggesting that there is definite evidence that this is when he died. When used in date ranges, a circa is applied before each approximate date, while dates without a circa immediately preceding them are generally assumed to be known with certainty. For instance, the 1162 in the above example is approximate, but the August 18, 1227 is known. ==See also== *[[Circadian rhythm]] *[[Floruit]] {{Chronology}} [[Category:Genealogy]] [[Category:Latin words and phrases]] [[Category:Timekeeping]] [[af:Circa]] [[ca:Circa]] [[cs:Cirka]] [[es:Circa]] [[fr:Circa]] [[id:Ca.]] [[nn:Cirka]] [[pt:Circa]] [[sk:Circa]] [[fi:Cirka]] [[ur:تقریباً (تاریخ)]]