Chapter 275

So he lies, circled with evil. Coleridge.

To circle in , to confine; to hem in; to keep together; as, to circle bodies in .

Sir K. Digby.

Circle <Xpage=257>

Cir"cle , v. i. To move circularly; to form a circle; to circulate.

Thy name shall circle round the gaping through. Byron.

Circled <Xpage=257>

Cir"cled (?) , a. Having the form of a circle; round. "Monthly changes in her circled orb."

Shak.

Circler <Xpage=257>

Cir"cler (?) , n. A mean or inferior poet, perhaps from his habit of wandering around as a stroller; an itinerant poet. Also, a name given to the cyclic poets. See under Cyclic , a. [Obs.]

B. Jonson.

Circlet <Xpage=257>

Cir"clet (?) , n. 1. A little circle; esp., an ornament for the person, having the form of a circle; that which encircles, as a ring, a bracelet, or a headband.

Her fair locks in circlet be enrolled. Spenser.

2. A round body; an orb.

Pope.

Fairest of stars . . . that crown'st the smiling morn With thy bright circlet . Milton.

3. A circular piece of wood put under a dish at table. [Prov. Eng.]

Halliwell.

Circocele <Xpage=257>

Cir"co*cele (?) , n. See Cirsocele .

Circuit <Xpage=257>

Cir"cuit (?) , n. [F. circuit , fr. L. circuitus , fr. circuire or circumire to go around; circum around + ire to go.] 1. The act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle or orbit; a revolution; as, the periodical circuit of the earth round the sun .

Watts.

2. The circumference of, or distance round, any space; the measure of a line round an area.

The circuit or compass of Ireland is 1,800 miles. J. Stow.

3. That which encircles anything, as a ring or crown.

The golden circuit on my head. Shak.

4. The space inclosed within a circle, or within limits.

A circuit wide inclosed with goodliest trees. Milton.

5. A regular or appointed journeying from place to place in the exercise of one's calling, as of a judge, or a preacher.

6. (a) (Law) A certain division of a state or country, established by law for a judge or judges to visit, for the administration of justice. Bouvier . (b) (Methodist Church) A district in which an itinerant preacher labors.

7. Circumlocution. [Obs.] "Thou hast used no circuit of words."

Huloet.

Circuit court (Law) , a court which sits successively in different places in its circuit (see Circuit , 6). In the United States, the federal circuit courts are commonly presided over by a judge of the supreme court, or a special circuit judge, together with the judge of the district court. They have jurisdiction within statutory limits, both in law and equity, in matters of federal cognizance. Some of the individual States also have circuit courts, which have general statutory jurisdiction of the same class, in matters of State cognizance. -- Circuit or Circuity of action (Law) , a longer course of proceedings than is necessary to attain the object in view. -- To make a circuit , to go around; to go a roundabout way. -- Voltaic or Galvanic circuit or circle , a continous electrical communication between the two poles of a battery; an arrangement of voltaic elements or couples with proper conductors, by which a continuous current of electricity is established.

Circuit <Xpage=257>

Cir"cuit , v. i. To move in a circle; to go round; to circulate. [Obs.]

J. Philips.

Circuit <Xpage=257>

Cir"cuit , v. t. To travel around. [Obs.] "Having circuited the air."

T. Warton.

Circuiteer <Xpage=257>

Cir`cuit*eer" (?) , n. A circuiter.

Pope.

Circuiter <Xpage=257>

Cir"cuit*er (?) , n. One who travels a circuit, as a circuit judge. [R.]

R. Whitlock.

Circuition <Xpage=257>

Cir`cu*i"tion (?) , n. [L. circuitio . See Circuit .] The act of going round; circumlocution. [R.]

Circuitous <Xpage=257>

Cir*cu"i*tous (?) , a. [LL. circuitosus .] Going round in a circuit; roundabout; indirect; as, a circuitous road; a circuitous manner of accompalishing an end. -- Cir*cu"i*tous*ly , adv. -- Cir*cu"i*tous*ness , n.

Syn. -- Tortuous; winding; sinuous; serpentine.

Circuity <Xpage=257>

Cir*cu"i*ty (?) , n. A going round in a circle; a course not direct; a roundabout way of proceeding.

Circulable <Xpage=257>

Cir"cu*la*ble (?) , a. That may be circulated.

Circular <Xpage=257>

Cir"cu*lar (?) , a. [L. circularis , fr. circulus circle: cf. F. circulaire . See Circle .]

1. In the form of, or bounded by, a circle; round.

2. repeating itself; ending in itself; reverting to the point of beginning; hence, illogical; inconclusive; as, circular reasoning .

3. Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior. See Cyclic poets , under Cyclic .

Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido? Dennis.

4. Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a common interest; circulated, or intended for circulation; as, a circular letter .

A proclamation of Henry III., . . . doubtless circular throughout England. Hallam.

5. Perfect; complete. [Obs.]

A man so absolute and circular In all those wished-for rarities that may take A virgin captive. Massinger.

Circular are , any portion of the circumference of a circle. -- Circular cubics (Math.) , curves of the third order which are imagined to pass through the two circular points at infinity. -- Circular functions . (Math.) See under Function . -- Circular instruments , mathematical instruments employed for measuring angles, in which the graduation extends round the whole circumference of a circle, or 360&deg;. -- Circular lines , straight lines pertaining to the circle, as sines, tangents, secants, etc. -- Circular note or letter . (a) (Com.) See under Credit . (b) (Diplomacy) A letter addressed in identical terms to a number of persons. -- Circular numbers (Arith.) , those whose powers terminate in the same digits as the roots themselves; as 5 and 6, whose squares are 25 and 36. Bailey . Barlow . -- Circular points at infinity (Geom.) , two imaginary points at infinite distance through which every circle in the plane is, in the theory of curves, imagined to pass. -- Circular polarization . (Min.) See under Polarization . -- Circular or Globular sailing (Naut.) , the method of sailing by the arc of a great circle. -- Circular saw . See under Saw .

Circular <Xpage=257>

Cir"cu*lar , n. [Cf. (for sense 1) F. circulaire , lettre circulaire . See Circular , a. ]

1. A circular letter, or paper, usually printed, copies of which are addressed or given to various persons; as, a business circular .

2. A sleeveless cloak, cut in circular form.

Circularity <Xpage=257>

Cir`cu*lar"i*ty (?) , n. [LL. circularitas .] The quality or state of being circular; a circular form.

Circularly <Xpage=257>

Cir"cu*lar*ly (?) , adv. In a circular manner.

Circulary <Xpage=257>

Cir"cu*la*ry (?) , a. Circular; illogical. [Obs. & .] "Cross and circulary speeches."

Hooker.

Circulate <Xpage=257>

Cir"cu*late (#) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Ciorculated ; P. pr. & vb. n. Circulating .] [L. circulatus , p. p. of circulare , v. t., to surround, make round, circulari , v. i., to gather into a circle. See Circle .]

1. To move in a circle or circuitously; to move round and return to the same point; as, the blood circulates in the body .

Boyle.

2. To pass from place to place, from person to person, or from hand to hand; to be diffused; as, money circulates ; a story circulates.

<page="258"> Page 258

Circulating decimal . See Decimal . -- Circulating library , a library whose books are loaned to the public, usually at certain fixed rates. -- Circulating medium . See Medium .

Circulate <Xpage=258>

Cir"cu*late (?) , v. t. To cause to pass from place to place, or from person to person; to spread; as, to circulate a report; to circulate bills of credit.

Circulating pump . See under Pump .

Syn. -- To spread; diffuse; propagate; disseminate.

Circulation <Xpage=258>

Cir`cu*la"tion (?) , n. [L. circulatio : cf. F. circulation .] 1. The act of moving in a circle, or in a course which brings the moving body to the place where its motion began.

This continual circulation of human things. Swift.

2. The act of passing from place to place or person to person; free diffusion; transmission.

The true doctrines of astronomy appear to have had some popular circulation . Whewell.

3. Currency; circulating coin; notes, bills, etc., current for coin.

4. The extent to which anything circulates or is circulated; the measure of diffusion; as, the circulation of a newspaper .

5. (Physiol.) The movement of the blood in the blood-vascular system, by which it is brought into close relations with almost every living elementary constituent. Also, the movement of the sap in the vessels and tissues of plants.

Circulative <Xpage=258>

Cir"cu*la*tive (?) , a. Promoting circulation; circulating. [R.]

Coleridge.

Circulator <Xpage=258>

Cir"cu*la`tor (?) , n. [Cf. L. circulator a peddler.] One who, or that which, circulates.

Circulatorious <Xpage=258>

Cir`cu*la*to"ri*ous (?) , a. Travelling from house to house or from town to town; itinerant. [Obs.] " Circulatorious jugglers."

Barrow.

Circulatory <Xpage=258>

Cir"cu*la*to*ry (?) , a. [L. circulatorius pert. to a mountebank: cf. F. circulatoire .]

1. Circular; as, a circulatory letter .

Johnson.

2. Circulating, or going round.

T. Warton.

3. (Anat.) Subserving the purposes of circulation; as, circulatory organs ; of or pertaining to the organs of circulation; as, circulatory diseases .

Circulatory <Xpage=258>

Cir"cu*la*to*ry , n. A chemical vessel consisting of two portions unequally exposed to the heat of the fire, and with connecting pipes or passages, through which the fluid rises from the overheated portion, and descends from the relatively colder, maintaining a circulation.

Circulet <Xpage=258>

Cir"cu*let (?) , n. A circlet. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Circuline <Xpage=258>

Cir"cu*line (?) , a. Proceeding in a circle; circular. [Obs.] "With motion circuline ".

Dr. H. More.

Circum- <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum- (?) . [Akin to circle , circus .] A Latin preposition, used as a prefix in many English words, and signifying around or about .

Circumagitate <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*ag"i*tate (?) , v. t. [Pref. circum + agitate .] To agitate on all sides.

Jer. Taylor.

Circumambage <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*am"bage (?) , n. [Pref. circum- + ambage , obs. sing. of ambages .] A roundabout or indirect course; indirectness. [Obs.]

S. Richardson.

Circumambiency <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*am"bi*en*cy (?) , n. The act of surrounding or encompassing.

Sir T. Browne.

Circumambient <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*am"bi*ent (?) , a. [Pref. circum- + ambient .] Surrounding; inclosing or being on all sides; encompassing. "The circumambient heaven ."

J. Armstrong.

Circumambulate <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*am"bu*late (?) , v. t. [L. circumambulatus , p. p. of circumambulare to walk around; circum + ambulare . See Ambulate .] To walk round about. -- Cir`cum*am`bu*la"tion (#) , n.

Circumbendibus <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*bend"i*bus (?) , n. A roundabout or indirect way. [Jocular]

Goldsmith.

Circumcenter <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*cen"ter (?) , n. (Geom.) The center of a circle that circumscribes a triangle.

Circumcise <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*cise (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Circumcised (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Circumcising .] [L. circumcisus , p. p. of circumcidere to cut around, to circumcise; circum + caedere to cut; akin to E. c\'91sura , homi cide , con cise , and prob. to shed , v. t.] 1. To cut off the prepuce of foreskin of, in the case of males, and the internal labia of, in the case of females.

2. (Script.) To purify spiritually.

Circumciser <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*ci`ser (?) , n. One who performs circumcision.

Milton.

Circumcision <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*cision (?) , n. [L. circumcisio .]

1. The act of cutting off the prepuce or foreskin of males, or the internal labia of females.

&hand; The circumcision of males is practiced as a religious rite by the Jews, Mohammedans, etc.

2. (Script.) (a) The Jews, as a circumcised people. (b) Rejection of the sins of the flesh; spiritual purification, and acceptance of the Christian faith.

Circumclusion <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*clu"sion (?) , n. [L. circumcludere , -clusum , to inclose.] Act of inclosing on all sides. [R.]

Circumcursation <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*cur*sa"tion (?) , n. [L. circumcursare , -satum , to run round about.] The act of running about; also, rambling language. [Obs.]

Barrow.

Circumdenudation <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*den`u*da"tion (?) , n. [Pref. circum- + denudation .] (Geol.) Denudation around or in the neighborhood of an object.

Hills of circumdenudation , hills which have been produced by surface erosion; the elevations which have been left, after denudation of a mass of high ground.

Jukes.

Circumduce <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*duce" (?) , v. t. [See Circumduct .] (Scots Law) To declare elapsed, as the time allowed for introducing evidence.

Sir W. Scott.

Circumduct <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*duct" (?) , v. t. [L. circumductus , p. p. of circumducere to lead around; circum + ducere to lead.]

1. To lead about; to lead astray. [R.]

2. (Law) To contravene; to nullify; as, to circumduct acts of judicature . [Obs.]

Ayliffe.

Circumduction <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*duc"tion (?) , n. [L. circumductio .]

1. A leading about; circumlocution. [R.]

Hooker.

2. An annulling; cancellation. [R.]

Ayliffe.

3. (Phisiol.) The rotation of a limb round an imaginary axis, so as to describe a concial surface.

Circumesophagal <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*e*soph"a*gal (?) , a. [Pref. circum + esophagal .] (Anat.) Surrounding the esophagus; -- in Zool . said of the nerve commissures and ganglia of arthropods and mollusks.

Circumesophageal <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*e`so*phag"e*al (?) , a. (Anat.) Circumesophagal.

Circumfer <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*fer (?) , v. t. [L. circumferre ; circum + ferre to bear. See lst Bear .] To bear or carry round. [Obs.]

Bacon.

Circumference <Xpage=258>

Cir*cum"fer*ence (?) , n. [L. circumferentia .]

1. The line that goes round or encompasses a circular figure; a periphery.

Millon.

2. A circle; anything circular.

His ponderous shield . . . Behind him cast. The broad circumference Hung on his shoulders like the moon. Milton.

3. The external surface of a sphere, or of any orbicular body.

Circumference <Xpage=258>

Cir*cum"fer*ence , v. t. To include in a circular space; to bound. [Obs.]

Sir T. Browne.

Circumferential <Xpage=258>

Cir*cum`fer*en"tial (?) , a. [LL. circumferentialis .] Pertaining to the circumference; encompassing; encircling; circuitous.

Parkhurst.

Circumferentially <Xpage=258>

Cir*cum`fer*en"tial*ly (?) , adv. So as to surround or encircle.

Circumferentor <Xpage=258>

Cir*cum`fer*en"tor (?) , n. [See Circumfer .]

1. A surveying instrument, for taking horizontal angles and bearings; a surveyor's compass. It consists of a compass whose needle plays over a circle graduated to 360&deg;, and of a horizontal brass bar at the ends of which are standards with narrow slits for sighting, supported on a tripod by a ball and socket joint.

2. A graduated wheel for measuring tires; a tire circle.

Circumflant <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*flant (?) , a. [L. circumflans , p. pr. of circumflare .] Blowing around. [Obs.]

Evelyn.

Circumflect <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*flect (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Circumflected ; p. pr. & vb. n. Circumflecting .] [L. circumflectere . See Circumflex .] 1. To bend around.

2. To mark with the circumflex accent, as a vowel. [R.]

Circumflection <Xpage=258>

Cir`cum*flec"tion (?) , n. See Circumflexion .

Circumflex <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*flex (?) , n. [L. circumflexus a bending round, fr. circumflectere , circumflexum , to bend or turn about; circum + flectere to bend. See Flexible .]

1. A wave of the voice embracing both a rise and fall or a fall and a rise on the same a syllable.

Walker.

2. A character, or accent, denoting in Greek a rise and of the voice on the same long syllable, marked thus [~ or <?/]; and in Latin and some other languages, denoting a long and contracted syllable, marked [<?/ or ^]. See Accent , n. , 2.

Circumflex <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*flex , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Circumflexed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Circumflexing (?) .] To mark or pronounce with a circumflex.

Walker.

Circumflex <Xpage=258>

Cir"cum*flex , a. [Cf. L. circumflexus , p. p.]

1. Moving or turning round; circuitous. [R.]

Swift.

2. (Anat.) Curved circularly; -- applied to several arteries of the hip and thigh, to arteries, veins, and a nerve of the shoulder, and to other parts.