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)]]