circum-sĕdĕo (sĭdĕo), sēdi, sessum, 2, v. a., to sit around a person or thing, to surround.
I In gen., absol. : inter tot milia populi circumsedentis, Ap. Met. 3, 2, 11; Sid. Ep. 3, 13.—With acc.: florentes amicorum turba circumsedet: circa eversos ingens solitudo est, Sen. Ep. 9, 9.— Esp.,
II To encamp around in a hostile manner , to besiege , blockade , invest , encompass , beset (in Cic. and Liv. several times; elsewhere rare): qui Mutinam circumsedent, Cic. Phil. 7, 8, 21; 10, 4, 10; id. Deiot. 9, 25; id. Att. 9, 12, 3; 9, 18, 2; 14, 9, 3; 15, 9, 2; Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 14; Sall. J. 21, 3; Nep. Eum. 5, 4; Liv. 21, 10, 5; 23, 15, 3; 25, 13, 1; 25, 22, 7; 42, 65, 12: vallo et armis, Tac. A. 1, 42: curiam militibus, Val. Max. 3, 8, 5: legatus populi Romani circumsessus, non modo igni, ferro, manu, copiis oppugnatus, sed aliquā ex parte violatus, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 31, § 79: circumsessus es. A quibus? id. ib. 2, 1, 32, § 81: populus, qui te circumsedit, id. ib. 2, 1, 33, § 83; id. Phil. 12, 10, 24; Tac. A. 4, 36: opem circumsessis ferre, Liv. 25, 22, 10: castra circumsessa, id. 3, 4, 8; 9, 42, 6: Capitolium, id. 5, 53, 5.—
B Trop.: non ego sum ille ferreus, qui... non movear horum omnium lacrimis, a quibus me circumsessum videtis, Cic. Cat. 4, 2, 3; so, circumsessum muliebribus blanditiis, Liv. 24, 4, 4: circumsederi urbem Romanam ab invidiā et odio finitimorum, id. 6, 6, 11.