I. Adv.
A. ( = circum, I. B.) Around, round about, all around, in the environs or neighborhood: “gramen erat circa,” Ov. M. 3, 411: “ripaeque lacusque Responsant circa,” Verg. A. 12, 757: “at circa gravibus pensis affixa puella... remittat opus,” Tib. 1, 3, 87: “circaque quā tumor est,” Cels. 5, 28, 3; 5, 28, 4: fluvius ab tergo; ante circaque velut ripa praeceps oram ejus omnem cingebat, Liv. 27, 18, 5; 28, 33, 2: “circa Padus amnis,” id. 21, 43, 4 Weissenb. ad loc.: “caligo, quam circa umidi effuderant montes,” Curt. 4, 12, 20: “alibi quam Romao circaque,” Plin. 26, 1, 1, § 1; Quint. 12, prooem. § 2; Tac. A. 2, 11.—
B. Circa esse, to be in the region around, in the neighborhood: “ex montibus qui circa sunt,” Liv. 1, 4, 6: “Tarquinium moribundum cum qui circa erant excepissent,” id. 1, 41, 1: “sed non passi sunt ii, qui circa erant,” Nep. Eum. 10, 4: “eversa est turris quodque circa muri erat,” Liv. 34, 29, 6: “Corinthus et quae circa est regio,” Plin. 24, 9, 42, § 69; Quint. 10, 7, 16. —Also freq. without esse, in connection with a subst.: “multarum circa civitatum irritatis animis,” the towns lying around, Liv. 1, 17, 4; 9, 2, 1; 27, 30, 3; 29, 29, 2; “42, 64, 2: angulus muri erat in planiorem patentioremque quam cetera circa vallem vergens ( = cetera loca quae circa erant),” id. 21, 7, 5: “corpora multa virūm circa,” Verg. A. 7, 535; Plin. 3, 17, 21, § 124.—
C. Strengthened: undique circa and circa omnis ( = circum), round about, all around: frumento undique circa ex agris convecto. Liv. 42, 56, 8; 23, 19, 8; “nam et circa omnia defecerunt,” id. 9, 23, 10: “cum tam procul Romani unica spes, circa omnia hostium essent,” id. 21, 11, 12; cf. id. 9, 2, 7 Drak.: “exhausto circa omni agro,” id. 31, 38, 1; 24, 3, 3; Val. Fl. 8, 2; Flor. 1, 18, 12 Duker; Quint. 9, 2, 45.—
II. Prep. with acc.
A. In space.
1. ( = circum, II. B.) Prop., in the region which surrounds, about, around, on the sides of: “quam (Hennam) circa lacus lucique sunt plurimi atque laetissimi flores omni tempore anni,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 48, § 107: “noctu ligna contulerunt circa casam eam, in quā quiescebat,” Nep. Alcib. 10, 4: “circa flumina et lacus frequens nebula est,” Sen. Q. N. 5, 3, 1: “circa equum Alexandri,” Curt. 4, 15, 26: “illi robur et aes triplex Circa pectus erat,” Hor. C. 1, 3, 10; id. S. 2, 6, 34: “quem circa tigres jacent,” Ov. M. 3, 668.—
2. ( = circum, II. C.) Into... around, to... round about, etc. (first in Livy): “Romulus legatos circa vicinas gentes misit,” Liv. 1, 9, 2: “legatis circa duodecim populos missis,” id. 4, 23, 5; 28, 26, 11: “circa domos ire,” id. 26, 13, 1; 25, 9, 2; 39, 18, 2; “29, 22, 3: circa civitates missi legati,” id. 21, 49, 7 Weissenb.; 31, 3, 5; Plin. 7, 37, 37, § 123; Suet. Aug. 49; id. Ner. 28: “litteris circa praefectos dimissis,” Liv. 42, 51, 1: “custodes circa omnes portas missi,” id. 28, 26, 11; 26, 13, 1.—
3. ( = circum, II. D.) With the prevailing idea of neighborhood, vicinity, in the region of, near to, near by: “Capuam et urbis circa Capuam occupare,” Cic. Agr. 1, 7, 22: “circa Liternum posuit castra,” in the neighborhood of, Liv. 23, 35, 6: “tabernae erant circa forum,” Quint. 6, 3, 38: “circa Armeniae montes,” Curt. 5, 1, 13: “Acesinen amnem,” Plin. 12, 5, 11, § 23: “domum auream,” Suet. Ner. 38: “sacrificantem,” id. Claud. 36.—
b. As a less definite designation of place for in: “Orestis liberi sedem cepere circa Lesbum insulam,” Vell. 1, 2, 5: “circa Mesopotamiam subsistere,” Curt. 4, 9, 1: “quod circa Syriam nascitur,” Plin. 19, 3, 16, § 46; “Quint. prooem. § 20: initia statim primi libri,” id. 1, 5, 44; cf. “finem,” id. 4, 3, 5: “virentes campos,” Hor. C. 2, 5, 5: “cum amor saeviet circa jecur,” id. ib. 1, 25, 15 (cf. Petr. 17, 8: “dolor saevit in praecordiis). So esp. freq. in medic. lang.: circa faciem, nares, aures, labra,” Cels. 5, 28, 2; 5, 2, 8.—So in Livy, with names of places, approaching the more general use of later writers, v. infra, C.: “quadriduum circa rupem consumptum,” Liv. 21, 37, 3: “compositis circa Opuntem rebus,” id. 28, 7, 9: “iisdem diebus circa Chalcidem Thoas... eandem fortunam habuit,” id. 35, 37, 5 Weissenb. ad loc.; cf.: “multos circa unam rem ambitus fecerim,” id. 27, 27, 12 Weissenb. ad loc.—
4. ( = circum, II. E.) In respect to persons who surround one (as attendants, friends, adherents, etc.), around, about: “multa sibi opus esse, multa canibus (sarcast. for indagatoribus) suis, quos circa se haberet,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 48, § 126: “ex iis trecentos juvenes inermes circa se habebat,” Liv. 29, 1, 2: “omnes,” Suet. Aug. 48; id. Calig. 43: “circa regem erat et Phrygum turba,” Curt. 3, 1, 17: “e spadonibus, qui circa reginam erant,” id. 4, 10, 25: omne sed officium circa te semper obibat turba tui sexūs, Mart. 1, 91, 3: “quod omnes circa te similes tui effecisti,” Plin. Pan. 83, 3.—In the language of the imperial court: “circa latus alicujus agere,” to wait on, altend, Dig. 27, 1, 30.—Hence also without a verb: circa aliquem, = οἱ περί τινα, the attendants, companions of a person: “omnibus vero circa eum gratuito aut levi fenore obstrictis,” Suet. Caes. 27; id. Dom. 9; cf. Liv. 21, 49, 7 Drak.—
B. (Peculiar to the form circa). In time, designating nearness, proximity to a definite point of time, about (first in Livy; cf. “circiter): postero die circa eandem horam in eundem locum rex copias admovit,” Liv. 42, 57, 10: “circa eum mensem,” Plin. 9, 18, 33, § 69: “lucis ortum,” Curt. 5, 3, 7: “lucem,” Suet. Oth. 11: “mediam noctem,” id. Claud. 2: “vernum aequinoctium,” Col. 5, 6, 19: “Kalendas et Idus Octobr.,” id. 5, 10, 8; 5, 10, 12; 5, 12, 2 al.; Plin. Ep. 1, 7, 4; Pall. 2, 4; 2, 7 al.—With definite numbers: “septimum diem,” Cels. 2, 6: “undecimam horam,” Suet. Caes. 88: “lustra decem,” Hor. C. 4, 1, 6; Scrib. 227.—With general designations of time: “tempora illa,” Quint. 11, 3, 143: “tempora Peloponnesia,” id. 12, 10, 4: “Murenae Cepionisque conjurationis tempus,” Vell. 2, 93, 1: “Magni Pompeii aetatem,” Plin. 33, 12, 55, § 156: “mortem,” id. 11, 37, 73, § 189: “initia imperii,” Suet. Claud. 7.—And in the designation of periods of time by persons who belonged to them (cf. ante): “circa Demetrium Phalerea,” about the time of Demetrius Phalereus, Quint. 2, 4, 41 Spald.: “Tisiam et Coraca,” id. 2, 17, 7: “Philippum,” id. 12, 10, 6: “Ciceronem,” Sen. Contr. 1 praef.: “Attium,” Vell. 1, 17, 1.—
2. In numerical designations, about, nearly, almost (first in Livy for the usual ad or circiter): “ea fuere oppida circa septuaginta,” Liv. 45, 34, 6: “quingentos Romanorum,” id. 27, 42, 8: “decem milia Persarum,” Curt. 4, 6, 30: “sestertium vicies,” Suet. Claud. 6: “quartum milliarium,” id. Ner. 48: “selibram,” Cels. 4, 19: “singulas heminas,” id. 7, 15.—
C. (Also peculiar to the form circa, and only in post-Aug. prose; esp. freq. in Quint., occurring more than seventy times.) Trop. for the designation of an object about which, as if it were a centre, any thing moves, is done, etc., around, about, in, in respect to, etc.; depending upon substt., adjj., or verbs.
1. Upon substantives: “circa eosdem sensus certamen atque aemulatio,” Quint. 10, 5, 5: “circa S litteram deliciae,” id. 1, 11, 6: “verba dissensio,” id. 3, 11, 5: “memoriam suam vanitas atque jactatio,” id. 11, 2, 22: “hoc opiniones,” id. 2, 15, 1; “Plin 8, 16, 19, § 48: quem pugna est,” Quint. 8, 6, 1; 7, 1, 15: “voces inani studio,” id. 8, prooem § 18:“ et saep rura sermo,” Plin. 18, 1, 1, § 5: “classicum brevis et expeditus labor,” Plin. Ep 3, 9, 13: “hospitia nullum fastidium,” id. Pan. 20, 3: “publica circa bonas artes socordia,” Tac. A. 11, 15: “principem novo exemplo, i. e. in principe,” Suet. Claud. 14.—
2. Upon adjectives: “non circa plurium artium species praestantem, sed in omnibus eminentissimum,” Quint. 12, 10, 12: “jus nostrum attentior,” id. 4, 5, 21: “studia mentis erectae,” id. 1, 3, 10: “lites raras ridiculi,” id. 7, 1, 43: “praecepta utiles sententiae,” id. 10, 1, 52; 6, 1, 42 al.: “corporis curam morosior,” Suet. Caes. 45: “victum indifferens,” id. ib. 53: “deos ac religiones neglegentior,” id. Tib. 69: “administrationem imperii vacuus,” id. Dom. 3 al.: “summa scelera distentum,” Tac. A. 16, 8 fin.: “adfectationem Germanicae originis ultro ambitiosi,” id. G. 28: “excessus otiosus,” id. Or. 22: “se animati,” Just. 14, 1, 3 al. —
3. Upon verbs facetum quoque non tantum circa ridicula opinor consistere, Quint. 6, 3, 19: “hoc disputatum est,” id. 1, 5, 34: “priores erratur,” id. 2, 5, 26: “formas litterarum haerere,” id. 1, 1, 21, cf. id. 5, 10, 114; Suet. Aug. 71. res tenues morari, Quint 1, 1, 35: “consilium elegendi successoris in duas factiones scindebantur,” Tac. H. 1, 13: “Medeam, Thyestem (tragoedias) tempus consumas,” id. Or. 3: “successorem omnia ordinari,” Suet. Claud. 45: “ceremonias, item circa omnium ordinum statum quaedam correxit,” id. ib. 22.!*? Circa very rarely follows its case: “quem circa,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 48, § 107; Ov. A. A. 2, 577; id. .3, 668; cf. circum, II. fin.
