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.

circum-sisto, stĕti (Caes. B. G. 3, 15 Oud. N. cr.; 4, 37; Curt. 15, 9, 10; Verg. A. 2, 559; Tac. A. 15, 15; id. H. 4, 79; cf. circumsto; rarely circumstiti, Tac. H. 3, 31), 3, v. a., to place one’s self or take one’s stand around a person or thing, to surround, go or stand around (class.; most freq. in the histt.; in Cic. perh. only once).

        1. (α) With acc.: quid me circumsistitis? Plaut. Men. 5, 7, 9; so * Cat. 42, 10; Caes. B. G. 5, 7 fin.; 7, 5; id. B. C. 1, 20; id. B. G. 4, 26 Oud. N. cr.; Liv. 1, 28, 7; 1, 51, 8; 2, 2, 8; Curt. 7, 5: ipsumque domumque, Verg. A. 8, 490 al.; so, naves, Caes. B. G. 3, 15: curiam, Liv. 2, 23, 11; Tac. A. 5, 4: lectum, id. ib. 14, 8: vias, id. ib. 15, 15: signa sua, id. H. 2, 41.
          Pass.: ne ab omnibus civitatibus circumsisteretur (Caesar), Caes. B. G. 7, 43; App. Dogm. Plat. 2.
        2. (β) Absol.: circumsistamus, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 28: haec cum maxime loqueretur, sex lictores circumsistunt (sc. loquentem), Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142: circumstiterant victores, Tac. H. 3, 31: circumsistentia tecta, Jul. Val. Rer. Gest. Alex. 3, 42; cf. also circumsto.

circum-sto, stĕti, 1, v. n. and a. (the perf. and pluperf. having the same form with those of circumsisto, and a similar meaning, it is sometimes doubtful to which verb a form belongs), to stand around in a circle, to take a station round; and, with the acc., to stand around a person or thing, to surround, encircle, encompass.

  1. I. Prop. (very freq. and class.).
          1. (α) Absol.: circumstant cum ardentibus taedis, Enn ap. Cic. Ac. 2, 28, 89 (Trag. v. 51 Vahl.): circumstant lacrimis rorantes ora genasque, Lucr. 3, 469: Morini spe praedae adducti circumsteterunt, Caes. B. G. 4, 37: circumstant properi aurigae, Verg. A. 12, 85: ad circumstantes tendens sua bracchia silvas, Ov M. 3, 441: circumstantis exercitūs gratia, Curt. 9, 3, 15: amici, id. 3, 5, 9.
          2. (β) With acc.: aliquem, Verg. G. 4, 216; Ov. M. 11, 505; Curt. 5, 12, 9: equites Romani qui circumstant senatum, Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 21: sellam, Liv. 8, 32, 14; Suet. Aug. 35: solem, Ov. M. 2, 394: sacra, id. ib. 2, 717: lectum, Curt. 10, 5, 2.
      1. 2. Hence, circumstantes, ĭum, m. subst., the by-standers, Quint. 4, 2, 22; 4, 2, 127; Tac. A. 1, 21; 1, 22; Suet. Caes. 84; id. Aug. 93; Curt. 6, 10, 36.
    1. B. In partic., to surround in a hostile manner, to beset, besiege: circumstare tribunal praetoris urbani, obsidere cum gladiis curiam, etc., Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 32: quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant, Liv. 1, 25, 6: si ambo consules infesti circumstarent tribunum, id. 3, 9, 6: urbem Romanam, id. 27, 40, 6: regis tecta, Verg. A. 7, 585; cf. the foll.
  2. II. Trop., to surround, encompass, occupy, take possession of (freq. in post-Aug prose); absol. or with acc.: cum dies et noctes omnia nos undique fata circumstent, Cic. Phil. 10, 10, 20: circumstant te summae auctoritates, id. Verr. 1, 17, 52: cum tanti undique terrores circumstarent, Liv. 6, 2, 4; cf. id. 30, 3, 3: anceps proelium Romanos circumsteterat, incertos in quem hostem eruptionem facerent, id. 25, 34, 10: ancepsque terror circumstabat, id. 21, 28, 3; 34, 27, 1; Quint. 10, 3, 30: haec me cura, haec difficultas sola circumstat, Plin. Pan. 3, 4: at me tum primum saevus circumstetit horror, Verg. A. 2, 559: scio acerba meorum Circumstare odia ( = meos, qui me oderunt), id. ib. 10, 905: circumsteterat Civilem et alius metus, Tac. H. 4, 79: circumsteterat palatium publica exspectatio, id. ib. 1, 17: paupertas et angustiae rerum nascentes eos circumsteterunt, id. Or. 8.
    Subst.: circumstantĭa, ium, n., details, circumstances, in an argument: illa (argumenta) per se fortia non oportet circumstantibus obscurare, Quint. 5, 12, 4.