circum [properly acc. from circus = κίρκος], adv. and prep., designates either an entire encompassing or surrounding of an object, or a proximity only partially em. bracing or comprehending it, around, about, all around, περί, ἀμφί
I Adv.
A Around , round about , all around , etc., πέριξ: furcas circum offigito, Cato R. R. 48, 2; Varr. R. R. 3, 14, 1; Verg. A. 3, 230: quia (locus) vastis circum saltibus claudebatur, Tac. A. 4, 25: molli circum est ansas amplexus acantho, Verg. E. 3, 45: age tu interim Da cito ab Delphio Cantharum circum, Plaut. Most. 1, 4, 33: quae circum essent opera tueri, Caes. B. C 2, 10: interea Rutuli portis circum omnibus instant, Verg. A. 10, 118 (i. e. circumcirca fusi: nam modo circum adverbium loci est, Serv.): omnem, quae nuno .umida circum Caligat, nubem eripiam, id. ib. 2, 605; Tib. 1, 3, 77; 1, 5, 11. sed circum tutae sub moenibus urbis aquantur, round about under the walls , Verg. G. 4, 193. faciundum haras quadratas circum binos pedes, all around , i. e. on every side , two feet , Varr. R. R. 3, 10, 3 Schneid.—
b Strengthened with undique (in later Latin also sometimes written as one word, circumundique ), from everywhere around , around on all sides : circum Undique convenere, Verg. A. 4, 416; Lucr. 3, 404: clausis circum undique portis, Stat. S. 2, 5, 13; 5, 1, 155; id. Th. 2, 228: oppositu circumundique aliarum aedium, Gell. 4, 5, 3; 13, 24, 1; 14, 2, 9; so with totus and omnis, Varr. R. R. 3, 14, 1; Verg. A. 10, 118.—
B Of an incomplete circuit, esp. of the part that meets the view, lies on the hither side, etc. (v. under II.): hostilibus circum litoribus, Tac. A. 2, 24: aestas... aperto circum pelago peramoena, id. ib. 4, 67: gentibus innumeris circum infraque relictis, Ov. M. 4, 668; Stat. Ach. 1, 56: corpus servans circumque supraque vertitur, id. Th. 9, 114; Albin. Carm. ap. Maecen. 46.
II Prep. with acc.
A Around , about (implying a complete circuit): armillas quattuor facito, quas circum orbem indas, Cato R. R. 21, 4: terra circum axem se summā celeritate convertit, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 39, 123; Quint. 2, 17, 19 Zumpt N. cr. : ligato circum collum sudario, Suet. Ner. 51: terque novas circum felix eat hostia fruges, Verg. G. 1, 345: at genitor circum caput omne micantes Deposuit radios, Ov. M. 2, 40.—
B As in adv. B., of an incomplete circuit, about , upon , around , near : capillus sparsus, promissus, circum caput Rejectus neglegenter, Ter. Heaut. 290: flexo circum cava tempora cornu, Ov. M. 7, 313; 10, 116; 11, 159: tum Salii ad cantus incensa altaria circum adsunt, Verg. A. 8, 285: varios hic flumina circum Fundit humus flores, on the borders of the rivulets , id. E. 9, 40: urgeris turbā circum te stante, Hor. S. 1, 3, 135; cf. id. C. 2, 16, 33: circum renidentes Lares, id. Epod. 2, 66; Verg. G. 2, 484; cf. Luc. 2, 557: illi indignantes Circum claustra fremunt, Verg. A. 1, 56: oras et litora circum errantem, id. ib. 3, 75.—
C Circum very freq. expresses, not a relative motion around a given central point, but an absol. circular movement, in which several objects named form separate points of a periphery, in , into , among... around , to... around , etc.: te adloquor, Quae circum vicinos vages, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 14: ego Arpini volo esse pridie Cal., deinde circum villulas nostras errare, not round about our villas , but in our villas around , Cic. Att. 8, 9, 3; cf Hor. S. 1, 6, 58: tum Naevius pueros circum amicos dimittit, to friends around , Cic. Quint. 6, 25; Suet. Ner. 47: cum praetorem circum omnia fora sectaretur, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 70, § 169: Apronius ducebat eos circum civitates, id. ib. 2, 3, 26, § 65: ille circum hospites cursabat, id. ib. 2, 4, 19, § 41: lenonem quondam Lentuli concursare circum tabernas, id. Cat. 4, 8, 17: dimissis circum municipia litteris, Caes. B. C. 3, 22: circum oram maritimam misit, ut, etc., Liv. 29, 24, 9: legatio sub idem tempus in Asiam et circum insulas missa, id. 42, 45, 1; Suet. Aug. 64; id. Caes. 41; id. Calig. 28; 41; Hor. S. 2, 3, 281; id. Ep. 1, 1, 49: et te circum omnes alias irata puellas Differet, to or among all the other maidens around , Prop. 1, 4, 21—
D With the prevailing idea of neighborhood, vicinity, in the environs of , in the vicinity of , at , near : circum haec loca commorabor, Cic. Att. 3, 17, 2; Pompei id. ib. 8, 12, C, 1; exercitu in foro et in omnibus templis, quae circum forum sunt, conlocato, Cic. Opt. Gen. 4, 10: urbes, quae circum Capuam sunt, id. Agr. 1, 7, 20: cum tot essent circum hastam illam, id. Phil. 2, 26, 64 Wernsd. N. cr. : non succurrit tibi, quamdiu circum Bactra haereas? Curt. 7, 8, 21, Tac. A. 4, 74. —
E Of persons who surround one (as attendants, friends, etc.); in Gr.περι or ἀμφί τινα: paucae, quae circum illam essent, Ter. Eun. 581; Cic. Att. 9, 9, 4: omnium flagitiorum atque facinorum circum se tamquam stipatorum catervas habebat, Sall. C. 14, 1; cf. id. ib. 26, 4: Hectora circum, Verg. A. 6, 166.—Circum pedes for ad pedes, of servants in attendance, is rare, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 36, § 92; v ad, I. D. 3. b.—☞ Circum is sometimes placed after its subst., Varr. L. L. 5, § 31 Müll., Lucr. 1, 937; 4, 220; 6, 427; Cic. N. D. 2, 41, 105; Verg. E. 8, 12; 8, 74; 9, 40; id. A. 1, 32; 2, 515; 2, 564; 3, 75: 6, 166; 6, 329; 9, 440; Tib. 1, 1, 23; 1, 5, 51; Stat. Th. 3, 395.—
III In composition the m remains unchanged before consonants; before vowels it was, acc. to Prisc. p. 567 P., and Cassiod. p. 2294 ib., written in like manner, but (except before j and v ) not pronounced. Yet in the best MSS. we find the orthography circuitio, circuitus, and even circueo together with circumeo; cf. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 736 sq. —Signif.,
a Acc. to II. A.: circumcido, circumcludo, circumculco, circumfluo, circumfodio, circumfundo, etc.—
b Acc. to II. B.: circumcolo, circumflecto, circumjaceo, circumicio.—
c Acc. to II. C.: circumcellio, circumcurso, circumduco, circumfero, circumforaneus.—In many compounds, circum has sometimes one and sometimes another signif., as in circumdo, circumeo, circumsisto, etc.; v. h. vv.—☞ With verbs compounded with circum, this preposition is never repeated before the following object; e. g. circumcursare circum aliquid and similar phrases are not found.