Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

cingo, xi, nctum, 3, v. a. [cf. Gr κυλλός, κυρτός; Lat. curvus, and clingo, Curt. Griech. Etym. p. 545 sq.], to go round in a circle, to surround, encompass, environ, gird, wreathe, crown, etc. (class. in prose and poetry).

  1. I. Prop
    1. A. In gen.: quid autem interius mente? Cingatur igitur corpore externo, i. e. it must be enclosed in a body, Cic. N. D 1, 11, 27: non enim coronà consessus vester cinctus est, ut solebat, id. Mil. 1, 1; cf.: judicium insolitā trepidum cinxere coronă, Luc. 1, 321; tris (navīs) Eurus … Inhdit vadis atque aggere cingit harenae, Verg. A 1, 112: cincta serpentibus Hydra, id. ib 7, 658: pennae ritu coepere volucrum Cingere utrumque latus, to cover, Ov M. 6, 718, apio fasces et secto cingere porro, Col. 10, 371.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 1. To surround the body with a girdle, to gird on (the sword), to gird; esp. freq in pass. with abl., to be girded, encircled with something. iam quasi zonā, liene cinctus ambulo, Plaut Curc. 2, 1, 5; Curt. 3, 3, 19; cf.: cui lati clavi jus erit, ita cingatur, ut, etc., Quint. 11, 3, 138: ut cingeretur fluxiore cincturā, Suet. Caes. 45: Hispano cingitur gladio, Liv. 7, 10, 5; 38, 21, 13; Suet. Calig 49: ferro, id. Aug. 35: ense, Ov F. 2, 13: cingor fulgentibus armis, Verg A. 2, 749; 11, 188, 11, 536; his cingi telis, id ib. 2, 520: ense latus cingit, Ov F. 2, 784; cf. Stat. Th. 4, 41: cinctas resolvite vestes, Ov M. 1, 382. filios balteis, Vulg. Lev 8, 13.
        Poet., in pass with acc. (cf. accingor, II., and Zumpt, Gr § 458): inutile ferrum Cingitur, Verg. A. 2, 511: cinctaeque ad pectora vestes Bracchia docta movent, Ov M. 6, 59.
        Without case: Syrinx, Ov M. 1, 695; puer alte cinctus, Hor. S. 2, 8, 10.
        Hence, in late Lat. cinctus = armis instructus, armatus, armed, equipped, enrolled: cinctus in aliā militiā, Dig. 39, 1, 38; cf. ib. 39, 1, 25.
        As a girding up of the Roman dress was necessary in pursuits requiring physical action, hence, cingor (cf accingor), to make one’s self ready for any thing, to prepare: cingitur, certe expedit se, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 152; cingitur ipse furens certatim in proelia Turnus, Verg. A. 11, 486; cf. supra, Quint. 11, 3, 138; Hor S. 2, 8, 10; Ov. M. 6, 59.
      2. 2. To encircle with a garland or crown, to crown (freq., esp in the poets).
        1. a. Of the head: muralique caput summum cinxere coronā, Lucr. 2, 607; cf. Ov A. A. 3, 392 tempora floribus, Hor. C. 3, 25, 20; Verg A. 5, 71: spicis, Tib. 2, 1, 4 et saep.: comam lauro, Hor. C. 3, 30, 16; cf.: Graias barbara vitta comas, Ov. Tr. 4, 4, 78; Verg. A. 12, 163: de tenero cingite flore caput, Ov F 3, 254.
          Poet.: Atlantis, cinctum assidue cui nubibus atris Piniferum caput et vento pulsatur et imbri, Verg. A. 4, 248; 7, 658; Prop. 4 (5), 1, 61.
        2. b. To encircle other parts of the body: cujus lacertos anuli mei cingant, Mart. 11, 100, 2.
      3. 3. Of places, to surround, encircle, invest, enclose (the prevailing signif. in prose, esp. in the histt.; syn.: circumdo, claudo): (Tellus) oras maris undique cingens, Lucr. 6, 633; Cat. 64, 185; 64, 286: flumen Dubis paene totum oppidum cingit, Caes. B. G. 1, 38 provincia mari cincta, Cic. Fl. 12, 27: urbe portus ipse cingitur et continetur, id. Verr. 2, 5, 37, § 96 Zumpt: quod moenibus cingebatur, Tac. A. 13, 41: quae (terra) magnā ex parte cingitur fluctibus, speciem insulae praebet, etc., Curt. 3, 1, 13; 8, 10, 23; Ov A. A. 2, 469: cingitur insula tribus millibus passuum, i.e. has a circuit of, etc., Plin. 6, 12, 13, § 32.
        Poet.: cinxerunt aethera nimbi, covered, Verg. A. 5, 13: medium diem cinxere tenebrae, Sen. Herc. Fur. 939.
        Trop.; diligentius urbem religione quam ipsis moenibus cingitis, fortify, Cic. N. D. 3, 40, 94.
      4. 4. In milit. lang., to surround a place or army for defence or in a hostile manner, to fortify, to invest, be set, besiege: coronā militum cincta urbs, Liv. 7, 27, 7: castra vallo, id 7, 39, 8 equites cornua cinxere. covered, id. 23, 29, 3: ultimum agmen validā manu, to cover, Curt. 4, 13, 30: urbem obsidione, to besieye, Verg. A. 3, 52; dextera cingitur amni, id. ib. 9, 469: (hostem) stationibus in modum obsidii, Tac. A. 6, 34: cingi ab armis hostium, Ov. P. 2, 8, 69; Tib. 2, 3, 37, Prop. 3 (4), 3, 42.
        Trop Sicilia multis undique cincta persons. Cio. Imp. Pomp 11, 30.
      5. 5. To escort, to accompany inermi item regi praetor Achaeorum et unus ex purpuratis latus cingebant, Liv 32, 39, 8: dum latus sancti cingit tibi turba senatus, Ov P. 4, 9, 17: nec noscitur ulli, Agminibus comitum qui mode cinctus erat, id. Tr. 1, 5, 30: cincta virgo matrum catervā, id M. 12, 216, Vell 2, 14, 1, Tac. A. 1, 77; Sil 4, 448, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 322
    3. C. To peel off the bark around: cingere est deglabrare, Dig. 47, 7, 6 Pr, cf. Plin 17, 24, 37, § 234 sqq.