See Also: Circle(money)
in-circle(dictionary)
circle(2)(dictionary)
circle(1)(dictionary)
circle(encyclopedia)
Circle(medicine)
CIRCLE(finance)
Cartesian circle(encyclopedia)
Vienna Circle(encyclopedia)
objective circle(medicine)

circle(1) (iou)



circle noun. OE.
[Old & mod. French cercle from Latin circulus dim. of CIRCUS: see -ULE. Respelt in 16 after Latin.]
I. A figure or appearance.
(The line enclosing) a perfectly round plane figure whose circumference is everywhere equidistant from its centre; spec. an imaginary circle on the celestial sphere or terrestrial globe, esp. connecting points of equal latitude, longitude, declination, etc. Also loosely, an imperfectly round plane figure, a ring, a closed loop. OE.
A luminous ring in the sky; a halo. OE.
b. The round outline or surface of a celestial object. Chiefly poet. M17.
Formerly, the sphere in which a celestial object was supposed to revolve. Now, the orbit of a planet etc. ME.
A ringlike marking, e.g. a fairy-ring. In various team games, a marked-off circular or semicircular area on the playing field, court, rink, etc., to which specific rules apply. LME.
(In games) centre circle, striking-circle, etc.
b. A dark circular mark around or below the eyes, esp. due to sickness or insufficient sleep. Usu. in pl. M19.
In urinalysis, the upper of the three layers of urine. LME-E17.
II. A material object.
A circular object, esp. a band; a ring; a crown, coronet, etc. ME.
transit-circle: see TRANSIT noun.
The ring of a circus; the circus. arch. E17.
Archaeology. A field monument of circular shape, as a ring of standing stones, a circular ditch, a ring of pits, etc. L18.
A curved tier of seats in a theatre, concert hall, or cinema. M19.
dress circle, family circle, upper circle, etc.
III. transf. & fig.
The area, extent, or compass of. Now chiefly of non-material things: the area of influence or action of. LME.
A circular course, a complete revolution; a cyclic period. LME.
A. H. Sayce The circle of the year. J. B. Priestley It went round us once in a wide circle.
More fully vicious circle. The fallacy of proving a proposition from another that rests on it for proof; an unbroken sequence of reciprocal cause and effect; an action and reaction that intensify each other. LME.
A completed series of parts forming a sequence. M16.
A set (of people), a coterie; a class or division of society. M17.
P. G. Wodehouse The rest of his circle of acquaintance. M. Girouard More at home in donnish than country-house circles.
b. A number of people grouped round a centre of interest. E18.
O. Manning She started to rise, but the circle of women sat firm about her.
c. A spiritualist seance. M19.
Hist. A territorial division, esp. in Germany under the Holy Roman Empire. L17.
A railway, road, etc., forming a closed loop, allowing traffic to circulate continuously; spec. (Circle) a London Underground line so constructed. E19.
Phrases: Antarctic Circle: see ANTARCTIC adjective 1. Arctic Circle: see ARCTIC adjective 1. circle of confusion, circle of least confusion the (smallest possible) circular area illuminated by the rays from a point object after refraction or reflection in a particular optical system (e.g. a camera). circle of position: see POSITION noun. circle of Willis [Thomas Willis (1621-75), English physician] Anatomy a circular structure on the underside of the brain formed by several linked arteries. come full circle return to starting-point. diurnal circle: described by a celestial object in its apparent daily motion. go round in circles make no progress despite effort. great circle a circle on a sphere whose plane passes through the centre of the sphere. inner circle: see INNER adjective. magic circle: see MAGIC adjective. major circle = great circle above. meridian circle: see MERIDIAN noun, adjective 3. PARHELIC circle. polar circle: see POLAR adjective. Prague circle, Prague linguistic circle: see PRAGUE. primitive circle: see PRIMITIVE adjective & noun. quality circle: see QUALITY noun & adjective. REPEATING circle. Rowland circle, Rowland's circle: see ROWLAND. run round in circles, rush round in circles colloq. be fussily busy with little result. sacred circle: see SACRED adjective. segment of a circle: see SEGMENT noun 1a. small circle any circle on a sphere other than a great circle. square the circle: see SQUARE verb. swing around the circle: see SWING verb. vertical circle: see VERTICAL adjective. vicious circle: see sense 12 above. Vienna Circle: see VIENNA 1. virtuous circle: see VIRTUOUS adjective 2.
Comb.: circle dance = ring dance s.v. RING noun1.
circlewise adverb in the manner or form of a circle M16.