previous next
circumscriptĭo , ōnis, f. circumscribo. *
I. Prop. (acc. to circumscribo, I.), an encircling, and (concrete) a circle: “ex circumscriptione excedere,” Cic. Phil. 8, 8, 23.—
II. (Acc. to circumscribo, II. A.) A boundary, limit, outline, contour, circuit, compass (most freq. in Cic.): terrae situm, formam, circumscriptionem, Cic. Tusc. 1, 20, 45: “aeternitas, quam nulla temporis circumscriptio metiebatur,” id. N. D. 1, 9, 21: “corporeae forma circumscriptionis,” Arn. 2, 93; 3, 135.—
2. In rhet.
(α). A period: “verborum,” Cic. Or. 61, 204: “ipsa enim natura verborum quādam circumscriptione comprehendit concluditque sententiam,” id. Brut. 8, 34; cf. Quint. 9, 4, 124.—
(β). A compendious statement, summing up, Quint. 9, 3, 91.—
(γ). A figure of speech, prob. the limitation of a question by the removal of a circumstance in dispute, Quint. 9, 1, 35 Halm (dub.; cf. id. 9, 4, 9).—
B. (Acc. to circumscribo, II. C.) A deceiving, cheating, overreaching, defrauding (esp. in pecuniary transactions, and by judicial artifice, by pettifogging): “adulescentium,” Cic. Off. 3, 15, 61: “praediorum proscriptiones cum mulierculis apertā circumscriptione fecisti,” id. Fl. 30, 74; Sen. Ira, 3, 2, 1.—In plur., Cic. Clu. 16, 46; Sen. Ira, 2, 9, 4.—In gen., of deception, deceit, fraud, Sen. Ep. 82, 22; Tert. Pat. 5.
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

The National Endowment for the Humanities provided support for entering this text.

hide Dictionary Entry Lookup
Use this tool to search for dictionary entries in all lexica.
Search for in
hide References (14 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (14):
    • Cicero, For Aulus Cluentius, 16.46
    • Cicero, Philippics, 8.8.23
    • Seneca, de Ira, 2.9.4
    • Seneca, de Ira, 3.2.1
    • Cicero, de Natura Deorum, 1.9
    • Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes, 1.20
    • Cicero, De Officiis, 3.15
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 9, 3.91
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 9, 4.124
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 9, 4.9
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 9, 1.35
    • Seneca, Epistulae, 82.22
    • Cicero, Brutus, 8.34
    • Cicero, Orator, 61.204
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: