Circle

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: cir=cle

CIDE DICTIONARY

Circle, n. [OE. cercle, F. cercle, fr. L. circulus (Whence also AS. circul), dim. of circus circle, akin to Gr. kri`kos, ki`rkos, circle, ring. Cf. Circus, Circum-.].

•  A plane figure, bounded by a single curve line called its circumference, every part of which is equally distant from a point within it, called the center.  [1913 Webster]
•  The line that bounds such a figure; a circumference; a ring.  [1913 Webster]
•  An instrument of observation, the graduated limb of which consists of an entire circle.  [1913 Webster]

  " When it is fixed to a wall in an observatory, it is called a mural circle; when mounted with a telescope on an axis and in Y's, in the plane of the meridian, a meridian circle or transit circle; when involving the principle of reflection, like the sextant, a reflecting circle; and when that of repeating an angle several times continuously along the graduated limb, a repeating circle."  [1913 Webster]
•  A round body; a sphere; an orb.  [1913 Webster]

  "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth."  [1913 Webster]
•  Compass; circuit; inclosure.  [1913 Webster]

  "In the circle of this forest."  [1913 Webster]
•  A company assembled, or conceived to assemble, about a central point of interest, or bound by a common tie; a class or division of society; a coterie; a set.  [1913 Webster]

  "As his name gradually became known, the circle of his acquaintance widened."  [1913 Webster]
•  A circular group of persons; a ring.  [1913 Webster]
•  A series ending where it begins, and repeating itself.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thus in a circle runs the peasant's pain."  [1913 Webster]
•  A form of argument in which two or more unproved statements are used to prove each other; inconclusive reasoning.  [1913 Webster]

  "That heavy bodies descend by gravity; and, again, that gravity is a quality whereby a heavy body descends, is an impertinent circle and teaches nothing."  [1913 Webster]
•  Indirect form of words; circumlocution.  [1913 Webster]

  "Has he given the lie,
  In circle, or oblique, or semicircle."  [1913 Webster]
•  A territorial division or district.  [1913 Webster]

  " The Circles of the Holy Roman Empire, ten in number, were those principalities or provinces which had seats in the German Diet."  [1913 Webster]

Azimuth circle. See under Azimuth. -- Circle of altitude (Astron.), a circle parallel to the horizon, having its pole in the zenith; an almucantar. -- Circle of curvature. See Osculating circle of a curve (Below). -- Circle of declination. See under Declination. -- Circle of latitude. (a) (Astron.) A great circle perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic, passing through its poles. (b) (Spherical Projection) A small circle of the sphere whose plane is perpendicular to the axis. -- Circles of longitude, lesser circles parallel to the ecliptic, diminishing as they recede from it. -- Circle of perpetual apparition, at any given place, the boundary of that space around the elevated pole, within which the stars never set. Its distance from the pole is equal to the latitude of the place. -- Circle of perpetual occultation, at any given place, the boundary of the space around the depressed pole, within which the stars never rise. -- Circle of the sphere, a circle upon the surface of the sphere, called a great circle when its plane passes through the center of the sphere; in all other cases, a small circle. -- Diurnal circle. See under Diurnal. -- Dress circle, a gallery in a theater, generally the one containing the prominent and more expensive seats. -- Druidical circles (Eng. Antiq.), a popular name for certain ancient inclosures formed by rude stones circularly arranged, as at Stonehenge, near Salisbury. -- Family circle, a gallery in a theater, usually one containing inexpensive seats. -- Horary circles (Dialing), the lines on dials which show the hours. -- Osculating circle of a curve (Geom.), the circle which touches the curve at some point in the curve, and close to the point more nearly coincides with the curve than any other circle. This circle is used as a measure of the curvature of the curve at the point, and hence is called circle of curvature. -- Pitch circle. See under Pitch. -- Vertical circle, an azimuth circle. -- Voltaic circuit or Voltaic circle. See under Circuit. -- To square the circle. See under Square.

Syn. -- Ring; circlet; compass; circuit; inclosure.

Circle, v. t. [OE. cerclen, F. cercler, fr. L. circulare to make round. See Circle, n., and cf. Circulate.].

•  To move around; to revolve around.  [1913 Webster]

  "Other planets circle other suns."  [1913 Webster]
•  To encompass, as by a circle; to surround; to inclose; to encircle.  Prior. Pope.  [1913 Webster]

  "Their heads are circled with a short turban."  [1913 Webster]

  "So he lies, circled with evil."  [1913 Webster]

To circle in, to confine; to hem in; to keep together; as, to circle bodies in. Sir K. Digby.

Circle, v. i. 

 To move circularly; to form a circle; to circulate.  [1913 Webster]
"Thy name shall circle round the gaping through."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Circle, n. & v.
--n.
1 a a round plane figure whose circumference is everywhere equidistant from its centre. b the line enclosing a circle.
2 a roundish enclosure or structure.
3 a ring.
4 a curved upper tier of seats in a theatre etc. (dress circle).
5 a circular route.
6 Archaeol. a group of (usu. large embedded) stones arranged in a circle.
7 Hockey = striking-circle.
8 persons grouped round a centre of interest.
9 a set or class or restricted group (literary circles; not done in the best circles).
10 a period or cycle (the circle of the year).
11 (in full vicious circle) a an unbroken sequence of reciprocal cause and effect. b an action and reaction that intensify each other (cf. virtuous circle). c the fallacy of proving a proposition from another which depends on the first for its own proof.
--v.
1 intr. (often foll. by round, about) move in a circle.
2 tr. a revolve round. b form a circle round.

Idiom

circle back move in a wide loop towards the starting-point. come full circle return to the starting-point. go round in circles make no progress despite effort. great (or small) circle a circle on the surface of a sphere whose plane passes (or does not pass) through the sphere's centre. run round in circles colloq. be fussily busy with little result.

Derivative

circler n.

Etymology

ME f. OF cercle f. L circulus dimin. of circus ring

THESAURUS

Circle

O, acquaintance, advance, alentours, alternate, ambience, ambit, anklet, annular muscle, annulus, anthelion, antisun, aphelion, apogee, arc, arena, areola, armlet, arsis, ascend, associates, astronomical longitude, aura, aureole, autumnal equinox, back, back up, bailiwick, band, bangle, be here again, beads, beat, begird, belt, belt in, bijou, border, borderland, borderlands, bout, bow, bracelet, breastpin, brooch, budge, bunch, cabal, cadre, camarilla, camp, catacaustic, catenary, caustic, celestial equator, celestial longitude, celestial meridian, cell, chain, change, change place, chaplet, charm, charmed circle, chatelaine, cincture, circuit, circuiteer, circulate, circumambiencies, circumambulate, circumference, circumjacencies, circummigrate, circumnavigate, circumrotate, circumscribe, circumstances, circumvent, circumvolute, circus, clan, class, climb, clique, close the circle, closed circle, colures, come again, come and go, come around, come full circle, come round, come round again, come up again, companions, company, compass, comrades, conchoid, context, cordon, corona, coronet, coterie, countersun, course, crank, crescent, crew, cronies, crook, crowd, crown, curl, curve, cycle, demesne, department, descend, describe a circle, diacaustic, diadem, diastole, dimensions, discus, disk, division, domain, dominion, downbeat, earring, ebb, ecliptic, elite, elite group, ellipse, encincture, encircle, enclose, encompass, engird, ensphere, entourage, environ, environing circumstances, environment, environs, equator, equinoctial, equinoctial circle, equinoctial colure, equinox, eternal return, extension, extent, fairy ring, fellowship, festoon, field, flank, flow, fob, fraternity, friends, full circle, galactic longitude, garland, gem, geocentric longitude, geodetic longitude, gestalt, get over, gird, girdle, girdle the globe, glory, go, go about, go around, go round, go sideways, go the round, great circle, group, gyrate, gyre, habitat, halo, heliocentric longitude, hem, hemisphere, hook, hoop, hyperbola, ingroup, inner circle, intermit, jewel, judicial circuit, junta, junto, jurisdiction, lap, lasso, length, lituus, locket, logical circle, longitude, loop, looplet, lot, lunar corona, lunar halo, magic circle, make a circuit, march, meridian, milieu, mob, mock moon, mock sun, moon dog, mount, move, move over, necklace, neighborhood, nimbus, noose, nose ring, orb, orbit, oscillate, outfit, outposts, outskirts, pale, parabola, paraselene, parhelic circle, parhelion, perigee, perihelion, perimeter, period, periphery, pin, pirouette, pivot, plunge, precinct, precincts, precious stone, progress, province, pulsate, pulse, purlieus, push, radius, rainbow, realm, reappear, recur, regress, reoccur, repeat, retrogress, return, revolution, revolve, rhinestone, ring, ringlet, rise, roll, roll around, rondelle, rotate, rotation, round, round trip, roundel, rounds, run, saucer, scope, screw, series, set, shift, sink, sinus, situation, skirt, small circle, soar, society, solar corona, solar halo, solstitial colure, spell, sphere, sphincter, spin, spiral, stickpin, stir, stone, stream, subside, suburbs, sun dog, surround, surroundings, swing, swivel, systole, thesis, tiara, torque, total environment, tour, tracery, trajectory, travel, turn, turn a pirouette, turn around, turn round, twine around, twist, undulate, upbeat, vernal equinox, vicinage, vicinity, vicious circle, walk, wamble, wampum, wane, we-group, wheel, wheel around, whirl, wind, wreath, wreathe, wreathe around, wristband, wristlet, zodiac, zone

ROGET THESAURUS

Circle

Party

N party, faction, side, denomination, communion, set, crew, band, horde, posse, phalanx, family, clan, team, tong, council, community, body, fellowship, sodality, solidarity, confraternity, familistere, familistery, brotherhood, sisterhood, knot, gang, clique, ring, circle, group, crowd, in-crowd, coterie, club, casino, machine, Tammany, Tammany Hall, corporation, corporate body, guild, establishment, company, copartnership, partnership, firm, house, joint concern, joint-stock company, cahoot, combine, trust, society, association, institute, institution, union, trades union, league, syndicate, alliance, Verein, Bund, Zollverein, combination, Turnverein, league offensive and defensive, alliance offensive and defensive, coalition, federation, confederation, confederacy, junto, cabal, camarilla, camorra, brigue, freemasonry, party spirit, Confederates, Conservatives, Democrats, Federalists, Federals, Freemason, Knight Templar, Kuklux, Kuklux Klan, KKK, Liberals, Luddites, Republicans, Socialists, Tories, Whigs staff, dramatis personae, in league, in partnership, in alliance, bonded together, banded together, linked, joined together, embattled, confederated, federative, joint, hand in hand, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, en masse, in the same boat.

Region

N region, sphere, ground, soil, area, field, realm, hemisphere, quarter, district, beat, orb, circuit, circle, reservation, pale, compartment, department, clearing, (property) &c 780 (Government), 1 arena, precincts, enceinte, walk, march, patch, plot, parcel, inclosure, close, field, court, enclave, reserve, preserve, street, clime, climate, zone, meridian, latitude, biosphere, lithosphere, territorial, local, parochial, provincial, regional.

Circularity

N circularity, roundness, rotundity, circle, circlet, ring, areola, hoop, roundlet, annulus, annulet, bracelet, armlet, ringlet, eye, loop, wheel, cycle, orb, orbit, rundle, zone, belt, cordon, band, contrate wheel, crown wheel, hub, nave, sash, girdle, cestus, cincture, baldric, fillet, fascia, wreath, garland, crown, corona, coronet, chaplet, snood, necklace, collar, noose, lasso, lassoo, ellipse, oval, ovule, ellipsoid, cycloid, epicycloid, epicycle, semicircle, quadrant, sextant, sector, sphere, round, rounded, circular, annular, orbicular, oval, ovate, elliptic, elliptical, egg-shaped, pear-shaped, cycloidal, spherical, I watched the little circles die.