Part 249

3. That which encircles anything, as a ring or crown.

The golden circuit on my head. Shak.

4. The space inclosed within a circle, or within limits.

A circuit wide inclosed with goodliest trees. Milton.

5. A regular or appointed journeying from place to place in the exercise of one's calling, as of a judge, or a preacher.

6. (a) (Law) A certain division of a state or country, established by law for a judge or judges to visit, for the administration of justice. Bouvier. (b) (Methodist Church) A district in which an itinerant preacher labors.

7. Circumlocution. [Obs.] "Thou hast used no circuit of words." Huloet.

Circuit court (Law), a court which sits successively in different places in its circuit (see Circuit, 6). In the United States, the federal circuit courts are commonly presided over by a judge of the supreme court, or a special circuit judge, together with the judge of the district court. They have jurisdiction within statutory limits, both in law and equity, in matters of federal cognizance. Some of the individual States also have circuit courts, which have general statutory jurisdiction of the same class, in matters of State cognizance. -- Circuit or Circuity of action (Law), a longer course of proceedings than is necessary to attain the object in view. -- To make a circuit, to go around; to go a roundabout way. -- Voltaic or Galvanic circuit or circle, a continous electrical communication between the two poles of a battery; an arrangement of voltaic elements or couples with proper conductors, by which a continuous current of electricity is established.

Cir"cuit, v. i. To move in a circle; to go round; to circulate. [Obs.] J. Philips.

Cir"cuit, v. t. To travel around. [Obs.] "Having circuited the air." T. Warton.

Cir`cuit*eer" (?), n. A circuiter. Pope.

Cir"cuit*er (?), n. One who travels a circuit, as a circuit judge. [R.] R. Whitlock.

Cir`cu*i"tion (?), n. [L. circuitio. See Circuit.] The act of going round; circumlocution. [R.]

Cir*cu"i*tous (?), a. [LL. circuitosus.] Going round in a circuit; roundabout; indirect; as, a circuitous road; a circuitous manner of accomplishing an end. -- Cir*cu"i*tous*ly, adv. -- Cir*cu"i*tous*ness, n.

Syn. -- Tortuous; winding; sinuous; serpentine.

Cir*cu"i*ty (?), n. A going round in a circle; a course not direct; a roundabout way of proceeding.

Cir"cu*la*ble (?), a. That may be circulated.

Cir"cu*lar (?), a. [L. circularis, fr. circulus circle: cf. F. circulaire. See Circle.]

1. In the form of, or bounded by, a circle; round.

2. repeating itself; ending in itself; reverting to the point of beginning; hence, illogical; inconclusive; as, circular reasoning.

3. Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence, mean; inferior. See Cyclic poets, under Cyclic.

Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered to history, how could the Romans have had Dido? Dennis.

4. Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a common interest; circulated, or intended for circulation; as, a circular letter.

A proclamation of Henry III., . . . doubtless circular throughout England. Hallam.

5. Perfect; complete. [Obs.]

A man so absolute and circular In all those wished-for rarities that may take A virgin captive. Massinger.

Circular are, any portion of the circumference of a circle. -- Circular cubics (Math.), curves of the third order which are imagined to pass through the two circular points at infinity. -- Circular functions. (Math.) See under Function. -- Circular instruments, mathematical instruments employed for measuring angles, in which the graduation extends round the whole circumference of a circle, or 360░. -- Circular lines, straight lines pertaining to the circle, as sines, tangents, secants, etc. -- Circular note or letter. (a) (Com.) See under Credit. (b) (Diplomacy) A letter addressed in identical terms to a number of persons. -- Circular numbers (Arith.), those whose powers terminate in the same digits as the roots themselves; as 5 and 6, whose squares are 25 and 36. Bailey. Barlow. -- Circular points at infinity (Geom.), two imaginary points at infinite distance through which every circle in the plane is, in the theory of curves, imagined to pass. -- Circular polarization. (Min.) See under Polarization. -- Circular or Globular sailing (Naut.), the method of sailing by the arc of a great circle. -- Circular saw. See under Saw.

Cir"cu*lar, n. [Cf. (for sense 1) F. circulaire, lettre circulaire. See Circular, a.]