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Esp. To surround, encircle, enclose, encompass. Esp. in milit. lang.: totam urbem muro turribusque circumiri posse, Caes. B. C. 2, 16: aciem, sinistrum cornu, id. ib. 3, 93 sq.: multitudine circumiri, Nep. Them. 3, 2; id. Dat. 7, 3; Liv. 41, 26, 4; Gall. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30, 4: ab iisdem acies Pompeiana a sinistrā parte erat circumita, Caes. B. C. 3, 94.
In gen., absol.: quae circumibit linea, ejusdem spatii erit, cujus ea quae centum continet, Quint. 1, 10, 44.—With acc.: extremas oleis pacalibus oras (Pallas), Ov. M. 6, 101: cujus non hederae circumiere caput, Prop. 2 (3), 5, 26.
To go from one to another, soliciting, canvassing, admonishing, etc., qs. to go the rounds (stronger than ambire, which signif. to go to this one and that; most freq. after the Aug. per.; in Cic. perh. only once, in his epistt.): itaque prenso amicos, supplico, ambio domos stationesque circumeo, Plin. Ep. 2, 9, 5: (Antonium) circumire veteranos, ut acta Caesaris sancirent, Cic. Att. 14, 21, 2; Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 11, 2: Quinctilius circumire aciem Curionis atque obsecrare milites coepit, Caes. B. C. 2, 28: sed ipse Romulus circumibat docebatque, Liv. 1, 9, 14; 1, 47, 7; 3, 47, 2: ille Persarum tabernacula circumire, hortari, Curt. 5, 9, 17; Tac. A. 2, 29; Plin. Pan. 69, 2; Suet. Aug. 56; id. Tib. 11: rex agmen circuibat pedes, Curt. 7, 3, 17; cf.: cui orbem terrarum circumire non erit longum meā causā, Plin. Ep. 7, 16, 4; 2, 9, 5.
Trop. To surround, enclose: totius belli fluctibus circumiri, Cic. Phil. 18, 9, 20: ne superante numero et peritiā locorum circumiretur, Tac. Agr. 25 fin.; Stat. S. 4, 4, 26.
Like our circumvent, to deceive, impose upon, cheat, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 109: facinus indignum, Sic circumiri, Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 9: puerum arte dolosā, Mart. 8, 59, 14.
Of discourse, to express by circumlocution (postAug.): res plurimae carent appellationibus, ut eas necesse sit transferre aut circumire, Quint. 12, 10, 34; 8, prooem. § 24 Spald.; 8, 2, 17: Vespasiani nomen suspensi et vitabundi circumibant, went around, avoided mentioning it, Tac. H. 3, 37.