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.

2. circŭĭtus (circŭmĭtus, Cic. N. D. 1, 12, 29; 2, 62, 155; 2, 19, 49; id. Rep. 1, 29, 45; Quint. 1, 10, 42 al.; cf. circumeo, and v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 737), ūs, m. [circumeo] (class. in prose and poetry).

  1. I. A going round, a circling, revolving, a revolution: solis, Cic. N. D. 2, 19, 49; cf. Plin. 2, 23, 21, § 86; Cic. Rep. 6, 12, 12: nox et dies unum circumitum orbis efflcit, id. Univ. 9 prope med.: Asiae Syriaeque circuitu Aegyptum petit, Suet. Aug. 17: mundi, Plin. 2, 5, 4, § 11.
    1. B. In medic. lang., the periodical return of a disease, Cels. 3, 5; Ser. Samm. 95.
      Far more freq.,
  2. II. Meton.
    1. A. (Abstr. pro concr.). A circuit, compass, a way around: plurimum refert, cujus sit formae ille circuitus, Quint. 1, 10, 40; cf. id. 1, 10, 42; 1, 5, 26; Augur. ap. Gell. 13, 14, 1: collis, quem propter magnitudinem circuitus opere circumplecti non poterant, Caes. B. G. 7, 83: illi operibus vincebant, quod interiore spatio minorem circuitum habebant, id. B. C. 3, 44: XV milia passuum circuitu amplexus, id. ib.; so id B G. 1, 41; Plin. 4, 12, 19, § 54: brevi per mon tes circuitu praemissis, qui munirent viam, Liv. 34, 28, 2; 4, 27, 8; Curt. 3, 11, 19: qualis esset natura montis et qualis in circuitu ascensus, Caes. B. G. 1, 21; 2, 29; 2, 30: longo circuitu petere regiones, id. ib. 7, 45; Verg. A. 11, 767: saevaque circuitu curvantem bracchia longo, Ov M. 2, 82: circumitus Siciliae quid tibi novi ostenderit, Sen. Ep. 79, 1.
    2. B. = ambitus, an open space left around a building, Varr. L. L. 5, § 22; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p 5, 4 Müll.; Inscr Marin. Fratr. Arval. p. 369.
  3. III. Trop
    1. A. In rhet., a period: in toto circuitu illo orationis, quem Graeci περιοδον, nos tum ambitum, tum circuitum, tum comprehensionem, aut continuationem aut circumscriptionem dicimus, Cic. Or. 61, 204; cf. Quint 9, 4, 124: modo ne circuitus ipse verborum sit aut brevior quam aures exspectent, aut longior, etc., Cic. de Or 3, 49, 191; 3, 51, 198; id. Or. 23, 78; Quint. 8, 6, 59; 11, 1, 6.
      In plur.: oratio longiores habet saepe circuitus, Quint. 9, 4, 60.
    2. B. In the postAug. per., a circumlocution, periphrasis, a roundabout way in speech or action; an indirect procedure.
      1. 1. Of speech, ea, quae proprie signari poterant, circuitu coeperint enuntiare, Quint. 12, 10, 16; 12, 10, 41; 5, 7, 16; 10, 1, 12: loqui per circuitus, Mart. 11, 15, 8.
      2. 2. Of action: cur circuitu petis gloriam, quae ad manum posita est? Curt. 9, 3, 14: negavi circuitu agendum, sed plane jure civili dimicandum, Petr 13 fin.

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.