From Latin 'circumstare' (to stand around) — circumstances are literally 'things standing around' an event.
A fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action; the conditions that affect a situation.
From Latin 'circumstantia' (surrounding conditions, attendant facts), from 'circumstare' (to stand around), built from 'circum-' (around, from PIE *kirk- related to *ker- meaning to turn/bend, giving Latin 'circus') + 'stare' (to stand, from PIE *steh₂- meaning to stand, be upright). The PIE root *steh₂- is one of the most productive in the Indo-European family, generating Greek 'histanai' (to cause to stand), Sanskrit 'sthā' (to stand), Old English 'standan', and ultimately English 'stand', 'station', 'status', 'state' and 'steady'. A 'circumstance' was literally what stands
German 'Umstand' (circumstance) is a perfect calque (loan translation) of Latin 'circumstantia' — 'um-' (around) + 'Stand' (standing) mirrors 'circum-' + 'stantia' exactly. This kind of word-for-word translation between languages is called a calque, and it shows how Latin concepts were mapped onto Germanic vocabulary. The phrase 'under the circumstances' is thus literally 'under the things
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