Today’s Spanish word of the day is “cercar”.
It’s a verb meaning “to fence in”, “to enclose”, or “to surround”.
It can also be used in military contexts to mean “to besiege”.
The word “cercar” comes from Latin circare, meaning “to circle”, which is also the root of the English words “search” and “research”, with the implication being that searching or researching involves a kind of wandering around.
Example sentences
Los ejércitos romanos solían cercar las ciudades enemigas durante meses antes de atacar.
Roman armies used to surround enemy cities for months before attacking.
Los árboles cercan la casa y le dan sombra.
The trees surround the house and provide shade.
El miedo puede cercar la mente si no lo enfrentas.
Fear can fence in the mind if you don’t face it.
La niebla empezó a cercar la montaña lentamente al atardecer.
The fog began to surround the mountain slowly at sunset.
Mi vecino decidió cercar su gato con pequeñas plantas de hierba gatera, y ahora vive en un paraíso perpetuo.
My neighbor decided to surround his cat with small catnip plants, and now it lives in a perpetual paradise.
