Lewis & Short

circum-cīdo, cīdi, cīsum, 3, v. a. [caedo],

  1. I. to cut around, cut, clip, trim (orig. in agriculture; syn.: amputo, reseco): ars agricolarum, quae circumcidat, amputet, erigat, etc., Cic. Fin. 5, 14, 39: gemmam acuto scalpello circumcidito … ejusdem spatii corticem circumcidito, Col. Arb. 26, 8; 12, 36: latera scrobis, id. 5, 9, 9: arbores ad medullam, Plin. 16, 39, 74, § 191: aciem, Lucr. 3, 412: caespitem gladiis, Caes. B. G. 5, 42: ungues, Cels. 7, 26, 2: volnus, Plin. 25, 5, 25, § 61: genitalia (Judaeorum), to circumcise, Tac. H. 5, 5; cf. Petr. 102, 14; Gell. 17, 15, 7; Cels. 7, 25 init.
  2. II. Trop., to cut off, shorten, diminish, abridge, circumscribe (very freq. in prose; syn.: amputo, reseco, demo, aufero): testatur saepe Chrysippus, tres solas esse sententias, quae defendi possint, de finibus bonorum: circumcidit et amputat multitudinem, Cic. Ac. 2, 45, 138; so with amputo, id. de Or. 1, 15, 65; id. Fin. 1, 13, 44: sumptus circumcisi aut sublati, Liv. 32, 27, 4; so, impensam funeri, Phaedr. 4, 19, 25: circumcisā omni negotiosā actione, Cels. 4, 25: circumcidendum vinum est in totum annum, to be abstained from, id. 4, 20.
    Of discourse, to lop or cut off, to remove: circumcisis rebus, quae non arbitror pertinere ad agriculturam, Varr. R. R. 1, 1, 11: circumcidat, si quid redundabit, Quint. 10, 2, 28; 4, 2, 42 Spald.: (oratio) rotunda et undique circumcisa, id. 8, 5, 27; 10, 1, 104: ineptas quaestiones, Sen. Contr. 2, 11.
    Hence, cir-cumcīsus, a, um, P. a., lit. cut off around, cut off; hence,
    1. A. Of localities = abscisus, abruptus, cut off from connection with the region around, steep, precipitous, inaccessible: saxum, Cic. Rep. 2, 6, 11: Henna ab omni aditu circumcisa atque directa, id. Verr. 2, 4, 48, § 107: collis ex omni parte circumcisus, Caes. B. G. 7, 36.
    2. B. Trop., abridged, short, brief (so prob. not before the Aug. per.): quid enim tam circumcisum, tam breve, quam hominis vita longissima? Plin. Ep. 3, 7, 11.
      Of discourse: circumcisae orationes et breves, Plin. Ep. 1, 20, 4; cf. supra, Quint. 8, 5, 27.
      Adv.: circumcīsē, briefly: rem ante oculos ponere circumcise atque velociter, Quint. 8, 3, 81; * Suet. Rhet. 6; Macr. 5, 1.