Adjacent Words

Circle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CIRCLE, n.
1. In geometry, a plane figure comprehended by a single curve line, called its circumference, every part of which is equally distant from a point called the center. Of course all lines drawn from the center to the circumference or periphery, are equal to each other.
2. In popular use, the line that comprehends the figure, the plane or surface comprehended, and the whole body or solid matter of a round substance, are denominated a circle; a ring; an orb; the earth.
3. Compass; circuit; as the circle of the forest.
4. An assembly surrounding the principal person. Hence, any company, or assembly; as a circle of friends, or of beauties. Hence the word came to signify indefinitely a number of persons of a particular character, whether associated or not; as a political circle; the circle of ones acquaintance; having however reference to a primary association.
5. A series ending where it begins, and perpetually repeated; a going round.
Thus in a circle runs the peasants pain.
6. Circumlocution; indirect form of words.
7. In logic, an inconclusive form of argument, when the same terms are proved in orbem by the same terms, and the parts of the syllogism alternately by each other, directly and indirectly; or when the foregoing proposition is proved by the following, and the following is inferred from the foregoing; as, that heavy bodies descend by gravity, and that gravity is a quality by which a heavy body descends.
8. Circles of the sphere, are such as cut the mundane sphere, and have their periphery either on its movable surface, as the meridians; or in another immovable, conterminous and equidistant surface, as the ecliptic, equator, and its parallels.
9. Circles of altitude or almucantars, are circles parallel to the horizon, having their common pole in the zenith, and diminishing as they approach the zenith.
10. Circles of latitude, are great circles perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic, passing through its poles and through every star and planet.
11. Circles of longitude, are lesser circles parallel to the ecliptic, diminishing as they recede from it.
12. Circle of perpetual apparition, one of the lesser circles, parallel to the equator, described by any point of the sphere touching the northern point of the horizon, and carried about with the diurnal motion. The stars within this circle never set.
13. Circle of perpetual occultation, another lesser circle at a like distance from the equator, which includes all the stars which never appear in our hemisphere.
14. Diurnal circles, are immovable circles supposed to be described by the several stars and other points in the heavens, in their diurnal rotation round the earth, or rather in the rotation of the earth round its axis.
15. Horary circles, in dialing, are the lines which show the hours on dials.
16. Circles of the empire, the provinces or principalities of the German empire, which have a right to be present at the diets. Maximilian I. divided the empire into six circles at first, and afterwards into ten; Austria, Burgundy, Lower Rhine, Bavaria, Upper Saxony, Franconia, Swabia, Upper Rhine, Westphalia, and Lower Saxony.
17. Druidical circles, in British Topography, are certain ancient inclosures formed by rude stones circularly arranged; as Stone-henge near Salisbury.
CIRCLE, v.t.
1. To move round; to revolve round.
And other planets circle other suns.
2. To encircle; to encompass; to surround; to inclose.
3. To circle in, to confine; to keep together.
CIRCLE, v.i. To move circularly; as, the bowl circles; the circling years.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point; "he calculated the circumference of the circle"
2: an unofficial association of people or groups; "the smart set goes there"; "they were an angry lot" [syn: set, circle, band, lot]
3: something approximating the shape of a circle; "the chairs were arranged in a circle"
4: movement once around a course; "he drove an extra lap just for insurance" [syn: lap, circle, circuit]
5: a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island; "the accident blocked all traffic at the rotary" [syn: traffic circle, circle, rotary, roundabout]
6: street names for flunitrazepan [syn: R-2, Mexican valium, rophy, rope, roofy, roach, forget me drug, circle]
7: a curved section or tier of seats in a hall or theater or opera house; usually the first tier above the orchestra; "they had excellent seats in the dress circle" [syn: circle, dress circle]
8: any circular or rotating mechanism; "the machine punched out metal circles" [syn: circle, round] v
1: travel around something; "circle the globe"
2: move in circles [syn: circle, circulate]
3: form a circle around; "encircle the errors" [syn: encircle, circle]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English cercle, from Anglo-French, from Latin circulus, diminutive of circus circle, circus, from or akin to Greek krikos, kirkos ring; akin to Old English hring ring — more at ring Date: 14th century 1. a. ring, halo b. a closed plane curve every point of which is equidistant from a fixed point within the curve c. the plane surface bounded by such a curve 2. archaic the orbit of a celestial body 3. something in the form of a circle or section of a circle: as a. diadem b. an instrument of astronomical observation the graduated limb of which consists of an entire circle c. a balcony or tier of seats in a theater d. a circle formed on the surface of a sphere by the intersection of a plane that passes through it <circle of latitude> e. rotary 2 4. an area of action or influence ; realm 5. a. cycle, round <the wheel has come full circle> b. fallacious reasoning in which something to be demonstrated is covertly assumed 6. a group of persons sharing a common interest or revolving about a common center <the sewing circle of her church> <family circle> <the gossip of court circles> 7. a territorial or administrative division or district 8. a curving side street II. verb (circled; circling) Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to enclose in or as if in a circle 2. to move or revolve around <satellites circling the earth> intransitive verb 1. a. to move in or as if in a circle b. circulate 2. to describe or extend in a circle • circler noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

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. Phrases and idioms: 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. Derivatives: circler n. Etymology: ME f. OF cercle f. L circulus dimin. of circus ring

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Circle Cir"cle (s[~e]r"k'l), 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-.] 1. 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. 2. The line that bounds such a figure; a circumference; a ring. 3. (Astron.) An instrument of observation, the graduated limb of which consists of an entire circle. Note: 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 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. 4. A round body; a sphere; an orb. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth. --Is. xi. 22. 5. Compass; circuit; inclosure. In the circle of this forest. --Shak. 6. 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. As his name gradually became known, the circle of his acquaintance widened. --Macaulay. 7. A circular group of persons; a ring. 8. A series ending where it begins, and repeating itself. Thus in a circle runs the peasant's pain. --Dryden. 9. (Logic) A form of argument in which two or more unproved statements are used to prove each other; inconclusive reasoning. 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. --Glanvill. 10. Indirect form of words; circumlocution. [R.] Has he given the lie, In circle, or oblique, or semicircle. --J. Fletcher. 11. A territorial division or district. Note: The Circles of the Holy Roman Empire, ten in number, were those principalities or provinces which had seats in the German Diet. 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 circle or circuit. See under Circuit. To square the circle. See under Square. Syn: Ring; circlet; compass; circuit; inclosure.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Circle Cir"cle, v. i. To move circularly; to form a circle; to circulate. Thy name shall circle round the gaping through. --Byron.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Circle Cir"cle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Circled; p. pr. & vb. n. Circling.] [OE. cerclen, F. cercler, fr. L. circulare to make round. See Circle, n., and cf. Circulate.] 1. To move around; to revolve around. Other planets circle other suns. --Pope. 2. To encompass, as by a circle; to surround; to inclose; to encircle. --Prior. Pope. Their heads are circled with a short turban. --Dampier. So he lies, circled with evil. --Coleridge. To circle in, to confine; to hem in; to keep together; as, to circle bodies in. --Sir K. Digby.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(circles, circling, circled) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A circle is a shape consisting of a curved line completely surrounding an area. Every part of the line is the same distance from the centre of the area. The flag was red, with a large white circle in the center... I wrote down the number 46 and drew a circle around it. = ring N-COUNT 2. A circle of something is a round flat piece or area of it. Cut out 4 circles of pastry. ...a circle of yellow light. = ring N-COUNT: usu N of n 3. A circle of objects or people is a group of them arranged in the shape of a circle. The monument consists of a circle of gigantic stones... We stood in a circle holding hands. = ring N-COUNT: oft N of n 4. If something circles an object or a place, or circles around it, it forms a circle around it. This is the ring road that circles the city. ...the long curving driveway that circled around the vast clipped lawn. = encircle VERB: V n, V around/round n 5. If an aircraft or a bird circles or circles something, it moves round in a circle in the air. The plane circled, awaiting permission to land... There were two helicopters circling around. ...like a hawk circling prey. VERB: V, V adv/prep, V n 6. To circle around someone or something, or to circle them, means to move around them. Emily kept circling around her mother... The silent wolves would track and circle them. VERB: V around/round n, V n 7. If you circle something on a piece of paper, you draw a circle around it. Circle the correct answers on the coupon below. = ring VERB: V n 8. You can refer to a group of people as a circle when they meet each other regularly because they are friends or because they belong to the same profession or share the same interests. He has a small circle of friends... Alton has made himself fiercely unpopular in certain circles. N-COUNT: with supp 9. In a theatre or cinema, the circle is an area of seats on the upper floor. N-SING: the N 10. see also Arctic Circle, dress circle, inner circle, vicious circle, virtuous circle 11. If you say that you have come full circle or have turned full circle, you mean that after a long series of events or changes the same situation that you started with still exists. We've come full circle and dark-blue jeans are once again the height of style. PHRASE: V inflects

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sur'-k'-l: Is used with reference to the vault of the heavens (hugh) in Isa 40:22, and in a similar sense in The Wisdom of Solomon 13:2 (Revised Version margin), "circle of stars" (kuklos astron). It is also used in the sense of surrounding territory, as in the expression "circle of Jordan" (Ge 13:10 the Revised Version, margin).

See also CICCAR; ASTRONOMY, sec. III, 1.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Round, plane figure. 2. Circumference, periphery, ring. 3. Orb, sphere, globe, ball. 4. Returning series. 5. Compass, enclosure. 6. Company, society, class, fraternity, coterie, clique, set. 7. Range, sphere, province, field, compass, bounds, circuit, region.

Moby Thesaurus

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