The word for today is…

circumscribe (verb) – 1. To draw a line around; encircle.
2. (a) To form or mark the limits of; delineate.
(b) To limit narrowly; restrict.
3. (a) To enclose (a polygon or polyhedron) within a configuration of lines, curves, or surfaces so that every vertex of the enclosed object is incident on the enclosing configuration.
(b) To erect (such a configuration) around a polygon or polyhedron.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : Circumscribe has a lot of relatives in English. Its Latin predecessor circumscribere (which roughly translates as “to draw a circle around”) derives from circum-, meaning “circle,” and scribere, meaning “to write or draw.” Among the many descendants of circum- are circuit, circumference, circumnavigate, circumspect, circumstance, and circumvent. Scribere gave us such words as scribe and scribble, as well as ascribe, describe, and transcribe, among others. Circumscribe was first recorded in the 15th century; it was originally spelled circumscrive, but by the end of the century the circumscribe spelling had also appeared.

Peter is a fourth-generation New Zealander, with his mother's and father's folks having arrived in New Zealand in the 1870s. He lives in Lower Hutt with his wife, some cats and assorted computers. His...