circā, a later access. form for circum; not freq. before the Aug. per., esp. in Livy and Quintilian [acc. to Klotz, circa = circum ea; cf: antea, interea, postea, praeterea, etc.].
* Adv.
* ( = 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.
* Prep. with acc.
* 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.
* In space.
* ( = 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.
* (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.
* ( = 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.
* (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.
* ( = 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.