Circular

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: cir=cu=lar

CIDE DICTIONARY

Circular, a. [L. circularis, fr. circulus circle: cf. F. circulaire. See Circle.].

•  In the form of, or bounded by, a circle; round.  [1913 Webster]
•  repeating itself; ending in itself; reverting to the point of beginning; hence, illogical; inconclusive; as, circular reasoning.  [1913 Webster]
•  Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior. See Cyclic poets, under Cyclic.  [1913 Webster]

  "Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido?"  [1913 Webster]
•  Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a common interest; circulated, or intended for circulation; as, a circular letter.  [1913 Webster]

  "A proclamation of Henry III., . . . doubtless circular throughout England."  [1913 Webster]
•  Perfect; complete.  [1913 Webster]

  "A man so absolute and circular
  In all those wished-for rarities that may take
  A virgin captive."  [1913 Webster]

Circular are, any portion of the circumference of a circle. -- Circular cubics (Math.), curves of the third order which are imagined to pass through the two circular points at infinity. -- Circular functions. (Math.) See under Function. -- Circular instruments, mathematical instruments employed for measuring angles, in which the graduation extends round the whole circumference of a circle, or 360 -- Circular lines, straight lines pertaining to the circle, as sines, tangents, secants, etc. -- Circular note or Circular letter. (a) (Com.) See under Credit. (b) (Diplomacy) A letter addressed in identical terms to a number of persons. -- Circular numbers (Arith.), those whose powers terminate in the same digits as the roots themselves; as 5 and 6, whose squares are 25 and 36. Bailey. Barlow. -- Circular points at infinity (Geom.), two imaginary points at infinite distance through which every circle in the plane is, in the theory of curves, imagined to pass. -- Circular polarization. (Min.) See under Polarization. -- Circular sailing or Globular sailing (Naut.), the method of sailing by the arc of a great circle. -- Circular saw. See under Saw.

Circular, n. [Cf. (for sense 1) F. circulaire, lettre circulaire. See Circular, a.].

•  A circular letter, or paper, usually printed, copies of which are addressed or given to various persons; as, a business circular.  [1913 Webster]
•  A sleeveless cloak, cut in circular form.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Circular, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 a having the form of a circle. b moving or taking place along a circle (circular tour).
2 Logic (of reasoning) depending on a vicious circle.
3 (of a letter or advertisement etc.) printed for distribution to a large number of people.
--n. a circular letter, leaflet, etc.

Idiom

circular saw a power saw with a rapidly rotating toothed disc.

Derivative

circularity n. circularly adv.

Etymology

ME f. AF circuler, OF circulier, cerclier f. LL circularis f. L circulus CIRCLE

THESAURUS

Circular

O-shaped, actuate, ambagious, anfractuous, announcement, annular, annulate, annulose, annunciation, backhanded, booklet, brochure, bulletin board, chapbook, circinate, circuitous, circulate, circumlocutory, comic book, communique, coronary, crownlike, cyclic, cycloid, declaration, deviating, deviative, devious, diffuse, digressive, discoid, discursive, disklike, disperse, disseminate, distribute, edict, encyclical, enunciation, exchange, excursive, fallacious, flow, folder, helical, illogical, inconsistent, indirect, interchange, irrational, leaflet, manifesto, meandering, notice, notification, oblique, orbital, out-of-the-way, pamphlet, periphrastic, position paper, proclamation, program, programma, pronouncement, pronunciamento, propagate, public notice, radiate, redundant, report, revolve, ring-shaped, ringlike, rotary, rotate, round, roundabout, rounded, set off, sophistic, sophistical, spiral, statement, strew, tortuous, tract, twisted, twisting, ukase, white book, white paper

ROGET THESAURUS

Circular

Correspondence

N correspondence, letter, epistle, note, billet, post card, missive, circular, favor, billet-doux, chit, chitty, letter card, picture post card, postal, card, despatch, dispatch, bulletin, these presents, rescript, rescription, post, epistolary, furor scribendi.

Book

N booklet, writing, work, volume, tome, opuscule, tract, tractate, livret, brochure, libretto, handbook, codex, manual, pamphlet, enchiridion, circular, publication, chap book, part, issue, number livraison, album, portfolio, periodical, serial, magazine, ephemeris, annual, journal, paper, bill, sheet, broadsheet, leaf, leaflet, fly leaf, page, quire, ream, chapter, section, head, article, paragraph, passage, clause, endpapers, frontispiece, cover, binding, folio, quarto, octavo, duodecimo, sextodecimo, octodecimo, encyclopedia, encompilation, library, bibliotheca, press, definitive work, treatise, comprehensive treatise (dissertation), writer, author, litterateur, essayist, journalism, pen, scribbler, the scribbling race, literary hack, Grub-street writer, writer for the press, gentleman of the press, representative of the press, adjective jerker, diaskeaust, ghost, hack writer, ink slinger, publicist, reporter, penny a liner, editor, subeditor, playwright, poet, bookseller, publisher, bibliopole, bibliopolist, librarian, bookstore, bookshop, bookseller's shop, knowledge of books, bibliography, book learning, among the giant fossils of my past, craignez tout d'un auteur en courroux, for authors nobler palms remain, I lived to write and wrote to live, look in thy heart and write, there is no Past so long as Books shall live, the public mind is the creation of the Master-Writ, volumes that I prize above my dukedom.

Curvature

N curvature, curvity, curvation, incurvature, incurvity, incurvation, bend, flexure, flexion, flection, conflexure, crook, hook, bought, bending, deflection, deflexion, inflection, inflexion, concameration, arcuation, devexity, turn, deviation, detour, sweep, curl, curling, bough, recurvity, recurvation, sinuosity, kink, carve, arc, arch, arcade, vault, bow, crescent, half-moon, lunule, horseshoe, loop, crane neck, parabola, hyperbola, helix, spiral, catenary, festoon, conchoid, cardioid, caustic, tracery, arched ceiling, arched roof, bay window, bow window, sine curve, spline, spline curve, spline function, obliquity, curved, curviform, curvilineal, curvilinear, devex, devious, recurved, recurvous, crump, bowed, vaulted, hooked, falciform, falcated, semicircular, crescentic, sinusoid, parabolic, paraboloid, luniform, lunular, semilunar, conchoidal, helical, double helical, spiral, kinky, cordiform, cordated, cardioid, heart shaped, bell shaped, boat shaped, crescent shaped, lens shaped, moon shaped, oar shaped, shield shaped, sickle shaped, tongue shaped, pear shaped, fig shaped, kidney-shaped, reniform, lentiform, lenticular, bow-legged, oblique, circular, aduncated, arclike, arcuate, arched, beaked, bicorn, bicornuous, bicornute, clypeate, clypeiform, cymbiform, embowed, galeiform, hamate, hamiform, hamous, hooked, linguiform, lingulate, lobiform, lunate, navicular, peltate, remiform, rhamphoid, rostrate, rostriferous, rostroid, scutate, scaphoid, uncate, unguiculate, unguiform.

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.

Publication

N publication, public announcement, promulgation, propagation, proclamation, pronunziamento, circulation, indiction, edition, hue and cry, publicity, notoriety, currency, flagrancy, cry, bruit, hype, vox populi, report, the Press, public press, newspaper, journal, gazette, daily, telegraphy, publisher, imprint, circular, circular letter, manifesto, advertisement, ad, placard, bill, affiche, broadside, poster, notice, published, current, in circulation, public, notorious, flagrant, arrant, open, trumpet-tongued, encyclical, encyclic, promulgatory, exoteric, publicly, in open court, with open doors, Int, Oyez!, O yes!, notice!, notice is hereby given, this is to give, these are to give notice, nomina stultorum parietibus haerent, semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum.