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.

1. circŭĭtus, a, um, Part., from circumeo.

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.