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 circle or circuit. See under Circuit. — To square the circle. See under Square.
Syn. — Ring; circlet; compass; circuit; inclosure.
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.]
1. To move around; to revolve around.
Other planets circle other suns.
Pope.
2. To encompass, as by a circle; to surround; to inclose; to encircle. Prior. Pope.
Their heads are circled with a short turban.
Dampier.
So he lies, circled with evil.
Coleridge.
To circle in, to confine; to hem in; to keep together; as, to circle bodies in. Sir K. Digby.
Circle
(Cir"cle), v. i. To move circularly; to form a circle; to circulate.
Thy name shall circle round the gaping through.
Byron.
