Lewis & Short

circŭm-ĕo or circŭĕŏ (v. circum, III.; Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 736 sq.), īvi or ii, circuĭtum, īre (inf. pass. circumirier, Plaut. Curc. 3, 81), v. n. and a.

  1. I. Prop., to go around, travel or march around, etc. (class.): sparsis Medea capillis Bacchantum ritu flagrantes circuit aras, Ov. M. 7, 258: per hortum circuit, makes a circuit, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 152; cf. Nep. Eum. 9, 2: si rectum limitem rupti torrentibus pontes inciderint, circumire cogemur, Quint. 2, 13, 16: an quasi mare omnes circumimus insulas? i. e. from one to another (cf. circum, II. C.), Plaut. Men. 2, 1, 6: alvearia, Col. 9, 9: fines equis, id. 1, 3: praedia, Cic. Caecin. 32, 94: haec una opera circuit per familias, Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 53: qui imperavit ei, ut omnes fores aedificii circumiret, Nep. Hann. 12, 4: urbem, Liv. 23, 25, 2: Marcio et Atilio Epirus, Aetolia et Thessalia circumeundae assignantur … Lentuli circumeuntes Peloponnesi oppida, etc., id. 42, 37, 3 and 7: haud ignarus erat circuitam ab Romanis eam (Hispaniam) legatis, id. 21, 22, 1: Civilis avia Belgarum circumibat, Tac. H. 4, 70: manibus nexis trunci modum, to surround, Ov. M. 8, 748: non potuere uno anno circumirier, Plaut. Curc. 3, 81: proximis insulis circuitis, Suet. Aug. 98: equites circumitis hostium castris Crasso renuntiaverunt, Caes. B. G. 3, 25: circuitis templis, Suet. Ner. 19 al.: at pater omnipotens ingentia moenia caeli Circuit, Ov. M. 2, 402: circueunt unum Phineus et mille secuti Phinea, surround, id. ib. 5, 157 (cf. circum, II. E.): Leucada continuam veteres habuere coloni; nunc freta circumeunt, flow around it, id. ib. 15, 290: more lupi oves, id. P. 1, 2, 20: metam ferventi rotā, avoids, id. A. A. 3, 396.
    1. B. Esp.
      1. 1. To surround, encircle, enclose, encompass.
          1. (α) Esp. in milit. lang.: totam urbem muro turribusque circumiri posse, Caes. B. C. 2, 16: aciem, sinistrum cornu, id. ib. 3, 93 sq.: multitudine circumiri, Nep. Them. 3, 2; id. Dat. 7, 3; Liv. 41, 26, 4; Gall. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30, 4: ab iisdem acies Pompeiana a sinistrā parte erat circumita, Caes. B. C. 3, 94.
          2. (β) In gen., absol.: quae circumibit linea, ejusdem spatii erit, cujus ea quae centum continet, Quint. 1, 10, 44.
            With acc.: extremas oleis pacalibus oras (Pallas), Ov. M. 6, 101: cujus non hederae circumiere caput, Prop. 2 (3), 5, 26.
      2. 2. To go from one to another, soliciting, canvassing, admonishing, etc., qs. to go the rounds (stronger than ambire, which signif. to go to this one and that; most freq. after the Aug. per.; in Cic. perh. only once, in his epistt.): itaque prenso amicos, supplico, ambio domos stationesque circumeo, Plin. Ep. 2, 9, 5: (Antonium) circumire veteranos, ut acta Caesaris sancirent, Cic. Att. 14, 21, 2; Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 11, 2: Quinctilius circumire aciem Curionis atque obsecrare milites coepit, Caes. B. C. 2, 28: sed ipse Romulus circumibat docebatque, Liv. 1, 9, 14; 1, 47, 7; 3, 47, 2: ille Persarum tabernacula circumire, hortari, Curt. 5, 9, 17; Tac. A. 2, 29; Plin. Pan. 69, 2; Suet. Aug. 56; id. Tib. 11: rex agmen circuibat pedes, Curt. 7, 3, 17; cf.: cui orbem terrarum circumire non erit longum meā causā, Plin. Ep. 7, 16, 4; 2, 9, 5.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To surround, enclose: totius belli fluctibus circumiri, Cic. Phil. 18, 9, 20: ne superante numero et peritiā locorum circumiretur, Tac. Agr. 25 fin.; Stat. S. 4, 4, 26.
    2. B. Like our circumvent, to deceive, impose upon, cheat, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 109: facinus indignum, Sic circumiri, Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 9: puerum arte dolosā, Mart. 8, 59, 14.
    3. C. Of discourse, to express by circumlocution (postAug.): res plurimae carent appellationibus, ut eas necesse sit transferre aut circumire, Quint. 12, 10, 34; 8, prooem. § 24 Spald.; 8, 2, 17: Vespasiani nomen suspensi et vitabundi circumibant, went around, avoided mentioning it, Tac. H. 3, 37.