IPA: /sɜːrkəmˈstæntʃieɪt/
KK: /sɜrˈkʌmstəntʃiˌeɪt/
To provide detailed evidence or description to support a claim or statement.
The lawyer was able to circumstantiate her argument with several key pieces of evidence.
Past: circumstantiated
Past Participle: circumstantiated
Circumstantiate is formed from "circum-" (meaning around) and "stare" (meaning to stand). The word refers to the act of standing around or providing the circumstances surrounding a situation.
Think of standing 'around' ('circum-') a situation to understand its context — that's what circumstantiate means.