Circle

8 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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}.]
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     1. To move around; to revolve around.
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              Other planets circle other suns.      --Pope.
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     2. To encompass, as by a circle; to surround; to inclose; to
        encircle. --Prior. Pope.
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              Their heads are circled with a short turban.
                                                    --Dampier.
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              So he lies, circled with evil.        --Coleridge.
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     {To circle in}, to confine; to hem in; to keep together; as,
        to circle bodies in. --Sir K. Digby.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Circle \Cir"cle\, v. i.
     To move circularly; to form a circle; to circulate.
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           Thy name shall circle round the gaping through.
                                                    --Byron.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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-}.]
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     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.
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     2. The line that bounds such a figure; a circumference; a
        ring.
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     3. (Astron.) An instrument of observation, the graduated limb
        of which consists of an entire circle.
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     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 circle} 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}.
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     4. A round body; a sphere; an orb.
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              It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth.
                                                    --Is. xi. 22.
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     5. Compass; circuit; inclosure.
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              In the circle of this forest.         --Shak.
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     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.
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              As his name gradually became known, the circle of
              his acquaintance widened.             --Macaulay.
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     7. A circular group of persons; a ring.
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     8. A series ending where it begins, and repeating itself.
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              Thus in a circle runs the peasant's pain. --Dryden.
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     9. (Logic) A form of argument in which two or more unproved
        statements are used to prove each other; inconclusive
        reasoning.
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              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.
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     10. Indirect form of words; circumlocution. [R.]
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               Has he given the lie,
               In circle, or oblique, or semicircle. --J.
                                                    Fletcher.
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     11. A territorial division or district.
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     Note:
  
     {The Circles of the Holy Roman Empire}, ten in number, were
        those principalities or provinces which had seats in the
        German Diet.
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     {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 circuit} or {Voltaic circle}. See under {Circuit}.
        
  
     {To square the circle}. See under {Square}.
  
     Syn: Ring; circlet; compass; circuit; inclosure.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  circle
       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}, {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}, {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}, {rotary}, {roundabout}]
       6: street names for flunitrazepan [syn: {R-2}, {Mexican valium},
           {rophy}, {rope}, {roofy}, {roach}, {forget me drug}]
       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: {dress
          circle}]
       8: any circular or rotating mechanism; "the machine punched out
          metal circles" [syn: {round}]
       v 1: travel around something; "circle the globe"
       2: move in circles [syn: {circulate}]
       3: be around; "Developments surround the town"; "The river
          encircles the village" [syn: {surround}, {environ}, {encircle},
           {round}, {ring}]
       4: form a circle around; "encircle the errors" [syn: {encircle}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  356 Moby Thesaurus words for "circle":
     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
  
  

From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:

  Circle, AK (CDP, FIPS 14880)
    Location: 65.82454 N, 144.08262 W
    Population (1990): 73 (31 housing units)
    Area: 11.8 sq km (land), 2.9 sq km (water)
    Zip code(s): 99733
  Circle, MT (town, FIPS 14950)
    Location: 47.41749 N, 105.58614 W
    Population (1990): 805 (399 housing units)
    Area: 2.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
    Zip code(s): 59215

From U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000) [gaz-place]:

  Circle, AK -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Alaska
     Population (2000):    100
     Housing Units (2000): 42
     Land area (2000):     107.672614 sq. miles (278.870779 sq. km)
     Water area (2000):    0.540092 sq. miles (1.398832 sq. km)
     Total area (2000):    108.212706 sq. miles (280.269611 sq. km)
     FIPS code:            14880
     Located within:       Alaska (AK), FIPS 02
     Location:             65.834464 N, 144.076392 W
     ZIP Codes (1990):     99733
     Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
     Headwords:
      Circle, AK
      Circle
  

From U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000) [gaz-place]:

  Circle, MT -- U.S. town in Montana
     Population (2000):    644
     Housing Units (2000): 384
     Land area (2000):     0.790055 sq. miles (2.046233 sq. km)
     Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
     Total area (2000):    0.790055 sq. miles (2.046233 sq. km)
     FIPS code:            14950
     Located within:       Montana (MT), FIPS 30
     Location:             47.416987 N, 105.588734 W
     ZIP Codes (1990):     59215
     Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
     Headwords:
      Circle, MT
      Circle