[ Akin to circle, circus. ] A Latin preposition, used as a prefix in many English words, and signifying around or about. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. circum + agitate. ] To agitate on all sides. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. circum- + ambage, obs. sing. of ambages. ] A roundabout or indirect course; indirectness. [ Obs. ] S. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of surrounding or encompassing. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. circum- + ambient. ] Surrounding; inclosing or being on all sides; encompassing. “The circumambient heaven.” J. Armstrong. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. circumambulatus, p. p. of circumambulare to walk around; circum + ambulare. See Ambulate. ] To walk round about. -- Cir`cum*am`bu*la"tion n. [1913 Webster]

n. A roundabout or indirect way. [ Jocular ] Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geom.) The center of a circle that circumscribes a triangle. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Circumcised p. pr. & vb. n. Circumcising. ] [ L. circumcisus, p. p. of circumcidere to cut around, to circumcise; circum + caedere to cut; akin to E. cæsura, homicide, concise, and prob. to shed, v. t. ] 1. To cut off the prepuce of foreskin of, in the case of males, and the internal labia of, in the case of females. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Script.) To purify spiritually. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who performs circumcision. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumcisio. ] 1. The act of cutting off the prepuce or foreskin of males, or the internal labia of females. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The circumcision of males is practiced as a religious rite by the Jews, Muslims, etc. Circumcision of male infants is also a common practice as a hygienic measure, to reduce incidence of infection of the penis. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

2. (Script.) (a) The Jews, as a circumcised people. (b) Rejection of the sins of the flesh; spiritual purification, and acceptance of the Christian faith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumcludere, -clusum, to inclose. ] Act of inclosing on all sides. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumcursare, -satum, to run round about. ] The act of running about; also, rambling language. [ Obs. ] Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. circum- + denudation. ] (Geol.) Denudation around or in the neighborhood of an object. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hills of circumdenudation, hills which have been produced by surface erosion; the elevations which have been left, after denudation of a mass of high ground. Jukes. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Circumduct. ] (Scots Law) To declare elapsed, as the time allowed for introducing evidence. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. circumductus, p. p. of circumducere to lead around; circum + ducere to lead. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To lead about; to lead astray. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) To contravene; to nullify; as, to circumduct acts of judicature. [ Obs. ] Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumductio. ] 1. A leading about; circumlocution. [ R. ] Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An annulling; cancellation. [ R. ] Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Physiol.) The rotation of a limb round an imaginary axis, so as to describe a conical surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. circum- + esophagal. ] (Anat.) Surrounding the esophagus; -- in (Zool.) said of the nerve commissures and ganglia of arthropods and mollusks. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Circumesophagal. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. circumferre; circum- + ferre to bear. See 1st Bear. ] To bear or carry round. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumferentia. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The line that goes round or encompasses a circular figure; a periphery. Millon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A circle; anything circular. [ 1913 Webster ]

His ponderous shield . . .
Behind him cast. The broad circumference
Hung on his shoulders like the moon. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The external surface of a sphere, or of any orbicular body. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To include in a circular space; to bound. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. circumferentialis. ] Pertaining to the circumference; encompassing; encircling; circuitous. Parkhurst. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. So as to surround or encircle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Circumfer. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A surveying instrument, for taking horizontal angles and bearings; a surveyor's compass. It consists of a compass whose needle plays over a circle graduated to 360°, and of a horizontal brass bar at the ends of which are standards with narrow slits for sighting, supported on a tripod by a ball and socket joint. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A graduated wheel for measuring tires; a tire circle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. circumflans, p. pr. of circumflare. ] Blowing around. [ Obs. ] Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Circumflected; p. pr. & vb. n. Circumflecting. ] [ L. circumflectere. See Circumflex. ] 1. To bend around. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To mark with the circumflex accent, as a vowel. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Circumflexion. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumflexus a bending round, fr. circumflectere, circumflexum, to bend or turn about; circum + flectere to bend. See Flexible. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A wave of the voice embracing both a rise and fall or a fall and a rise on the same a syllable. Walker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A character, or accent, denoting in Greek a rise and of the voice on the same long syllable, marked thus [ ~ or &unr_; ]; and in Latin and some other languages, denoting a long and contracted syllable, marked [ &unr_; or ^ ]. See Accent, n., 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Circumflexed p. pr. & vb. n. Circumflexing ] To mark or pronounce with a circumflex. Walker. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. L. circumflexus, p. p. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Moving or turning round; circuitous. [ R. ] Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anat.) Curved circularly; -- applied to several arteries of the hip and thigh, to arteries, veins, and a nerve of the shoulder, and to other parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of bending, or causing to assume a curved form. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A winding about; a turning; a circuity; a fold. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A flowing round on all sides; an inclosing with a fluid. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. circumfluere, p. pr. of circumfluere; circum + fluere to flow; also L. circumfluus. ] Flowing round; surrounding in the manner of a fluid. “The deep, circumfluent waves.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. circumforaneus found in markets; circum + forum a market place. ] Going about or abroad; walking or wandering from house to house. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. circum- + fulgent. ] Shining around or about. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. circumfusus, p. p. of circumfundere to pour around; circum + fundere to pour. ] To pour round; to spread round. [ 1913 Webster ]

His army circumfused on either wing. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. circum- + L. fusilis fusil, a. ] Capable of being poured or spread round. “Circumfusile gold.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumfusio. ] The act of pouring or spreading round; the state of being spread round. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumgestare to carry around; circum + gestare to carry. ] The act or process of carrying about. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Circumgestation of the eucharist to be adored. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ Pref. circum- + gyrate. ] To roll or turn round; to cause to perform a rotary or circular motion. Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of turning, rolling, or whirling round. [ 1913 Webster ]

A certain turbulent and irregular circumgyration. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Moving in a circle; turning round. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To circumgyrate. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. circum- + L. incedere, incessum, to walk. ] (Theol.) The reciprocal existence in each other of the three persons of the Trinity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Condition of being circumjacent, or of bordering on every side. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. circumjacens, p. pr. of circumjacere; circum + jacēre to lie. ] Lying round; bordering on every side. T. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. circum- + L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, Jove. ] One of the moons or satellites of the planet Jupiter. [ Obs. ] Derham. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. circum- + L. littus, littoris, shore; preferable form, litus, litoris. ] Adjointing the shore. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. circumlocutio, fr. circumloqui, -locutus, to make use of circumlocution; circum + loqui to speak. See Loquacious. ] The use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language; a periphrase. [ 1913 Webster ]

the plain Billingsgate way of calling names . . . would save abundance of time lost by circumlocution. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

Circumlocution office, a term of ridicule for a governmental office where business is delayed by passing through the hands of different officials. [ 1913 Webster ]