Adjacent Words

Circular definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CIRCULAR, a.
1. In the form of a circle; round; circumscribed by a circle; spherical; as, the sun appears to be circular.
2. Successive in order; always returning.
3. Vulgar; mean; circumforaneous; as a circular poet.
4. Ending in itself; used of a paralogism, where the second proposition at once proves the first, and is proved by it.
5. Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a common interest; as a circular letter.
6. Circular lines, such straight lines as are divided from the divisions made in the arch of a circle; as the lines of sines, tangents and secants, on the plain scale and sector.
7. Circular numbers, are those whose powers terminate in the roots themselves; as 5 and 6, whose squares are 25 and 36.
8. Circular sailing, is the method of sailing by the arch of a great circle.
CIRCULAR, n. A circular letter, or paper.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: having a circular shape [syn: round, circular] [ant: square]
2: describing a circle; moving in a circle; "the circular motion of the wheel" [syn: circular, rotary, orbitual] n
1: an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution; "he mailed the circular to all subscribers" [syn: circular, handbill, bill, broadside, broadsheet, flier, flyer, throwaway]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English circuler, from Middle French, from Late Latin circularis, from Latin circulus circle Date: 15th century 1. a. having the form of a circle ; round <a circular orbit> b. moving in or describing a circle or spiral <a circular staircase> 2. a. of or relating to a circle or its mathematical properties <a circular arc> b. having a circular base or bases <a circular cylinder> 3. circuitous, indirect 4. marked by or moving in a cycle 5. being or involving reasoning that uses in the argument or proof a conclusion to be proved or one of its unproved consequences 6. intended for circulation <a circular letter> • circularity noun • circularly adverb • circularness noun II. noun Date: 1789 a paper (as a leaflet) intended for wide distribution

Oxford Reference Dictionary

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. Phrases and idioms: circular saw a power saw with a rapidly rotating toothed disc. Derivatives: circularity n. circularly adv. Etymology: ME f. AF circuler, OF circulier, cerclier f. LL circularis f. L circulus CIRCLE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Circular Cir"cu*lar, a. [L. circularis, fr. circulus circle: cf. F. circulaire. See Circle.] 1. In the form of, or bounded by, a circle; round. 2. repeating itself; ending in itself; reverting to the point of beginning; hence, illogical; inconclusive; as, circular reasoning. 3. Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior. See Cyclic poets, under Cyclic. Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido? --Dennis. 4. Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a common interest; circulated, or intended for circulation; as, a circular letter. A proclamation of Henry III., . . . doubtless circular throughout England. --Hallam. 5. Perfect; complete. [Obs.] A man so absolute and circular In all those wished-for rarities that may take A virgin captive. --Massinger. 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[deg]. Circular lines, straight lines pertaining to the circle, as sines, tangents, secants, etc. Circular note or 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 or Globular sailing (Naut.), the method of sailing by the arc of a great circle. Circular saw. See under Saw.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Circular Cir"cu*lar, a. [L. circularis, fr. circulus circle: cf. F. circulaire. See Circle.] 1. In the form of, or bounded by, a circle; round. 2. repeating itself; ending in itself; reverting to the point of beginning; hence, illogical; inconclusive; as, circular reasoning. 3. Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior. See Cyclic poets, under Cyclic. Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido? --Dennis. 4. Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a common interest; circulated, or intended for circulation; as, a circular letter. A proclamation of Henry III., . . . doubtless circular throughout England. --Hallam. 5. Perfect; complete. [Obs.] A man so absolute and circular In all those wished-for rarities that may take A virgin captive. --Massinger. 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[deg]. Circular lines, straight lines pertaining to the circle, as sines, tangents, secants, etc. Circular note or 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 or Globular sailing (Naut.), the method of sailing by the arc of a great circle. Circular saw. See under Saw.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Circular Cir"cu*lar, n. [Cf. (for sense 1) F. circulaire, lettre circulaire. See Circular, a.] 1. A circular letter, or paper, usually printed, copies of which are addressed or given to various persons; as, a business circular. 2. A sleeveless cloak, cut in circular form.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(circulars) 1. Something that is circular is shaped like a circle. ...a circular hole twelve feet wide and two feet deep... Place your hands on your shoulders and move your elbows up, back, and down, in a circular motion. ADJ: usu ADJ n see also semi-circular 2. A circular journey or route is one in which you go to a place and return by a different route. Both sides of the river can be explored on this circular walk. ADJ: usu ADJ n 3. A circular argument or theory is not valid because it uses a statement to prove something which is then used to prove the statement. ADJ 4. A circular is an official letter or advertisement that is sent to a large number of people at the same time. The proposal has been widely publicised in BBC-TV press information circulars sent to 1,800 newspapers. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Round, annular, ring-shaped.

Moby Thesaurus

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