verbfirst conjugation, no supine stem
circumstō
circumstō (present infinitive circumstāre, perfect active circumstetī)
Classical[kɪrˈkũː.stoː]Ecclesiastical[t͡ʃirˈkum.sto]
Meaning
- to stand around, to surround or encircle, to occupy, to take possession of
- figurativelyto encompass, to beset, to occupy, to take, to take possession of, to overcome
At mē tum prīmum saevus circumstetit horror / Obstipuī….
“But then, [for] the first [time], savage horror overcame me: I was astounded….” (Aeneas is literally surrounded by death and destruction and figuratively begins to feel overwhelmed by concerns for the fate of his own family.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 2.559–560
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
circā stōcircumstō -āre — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 20
Conjugation conjugation 1 no-supine
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | circumstō | circumstābam | circumstābō | circumstetī | circumsteteram | circumsteterō |
| 2nd sg. | circumstās | circumstābās | circumstābis | circumstetistī | circumsteterās | circumsteteris |
| 3rd sg. | circumstat | circumstābat | circumstābit | circumstetit | circumsteterat | circumsteterit |
| 1st pl. | circumstāmus | circumstābāmus | circumstābimus | circumstetimus | circumsteterāmus | circumsteterimus |
| 2nd pl. | circumstātis | circumstābātis | circumstābitis | circumstetistis | circumsteterātis | circumsteteritis |
| 3rd pl. | circumstant | circumstābant | circumstābunt | circumstetērunt circumstetēre | circumsteterant | circumsteterint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | circumstem | circumstārem | circumsteterim | circumstetissem |
| 2nd sg. | circumstēs | circumstārēs | circumsteterīs | circumstetissēs |
| 3rd sg. | circumstet | circumstāret | circumsteterit | circumstetisset |
| 1st pl. | circumstēmus | circumstārēmus | circumsteterīmus | circumstetissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | circumstētis | circumstārētis | circumsteterītis | circumstetissētis |
| 3rd pl. | circumstent | circumstārent | circumsteterint | circumstetissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | circumstor | circumstābar | circumstābor |
| 2nd sg. | circumstāris circumstāre | circumstābāris circumstābāre | circumstāberis circumstābere |
| 3rd sg. | circumstātur | circumstābātur | circumstābitur |
| 1st pl. | circumstāmur | circumstābāmur | circumstābimur |
| 2nd pl. | circumstāminī | circumstābāminī | circumstābiminī |
| 3rd pl. | circumstantur | circumstābantur | circumstābuntur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | circumster | circumstārer |
| 2nd sg. | circumstēris circumstēre | circumstārēris circumstārēre |
| 3rd sg. | circumstētur | circumstārētur |
| 1st pl. | circumstēmur | circumstārēmur |
| 2nd pl. | circumstēminī | circumstārēminī |
| 3rd pl. | circumstentur | circumstārentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | circumstā | circumstāre |
| pres. 2nd pl. | circumstāte | circumstāminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | circumstātō | circumstātor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | circumstātō | circumstātor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | circumstātōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | circumstantō | circumstantor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | circumstāre | circumstārī |
| perfect infinitive | circumstetisse | — |
| present participle | circumstāns | — |
| future participle | — | circumstandus circumstanda, circumstandā, circumstandae, circumstandam, circumstandārum, circumstandās, circumstande, circumstandīs, circumstandōrum, circumstandōs |
gerundcircumstandī, circumstandō, circumstandum
circum-sto, stĕti, 1, v. n. and a.
I. (the perf. and pluperf. having the same form with those of circumsisto, and a similar meaning, it is sometimes doubtful to which verb a form belongs), to stand around in a circle, to take a station round; and, with the acc., to stand around a person or thing, to surround, encircle, encompass.
I. Prop. (very freq. and class.).
(a). Absol.: circumstant cum ardentibus taedis, Enn ap. Cic. Ac. 2, 28, 89 (Trag. v. 51 Vahl.):
circumstant lacrimis rorantes ora genasque, Lucr. 3, 469: Morini spe praedae adducti circumsteterunt, Caes. B. G. 4, 37: circumstant properi aurigae, Verg. A. 12, 85: ad circumstantes tendens sua bracchia silvas, Ov M. 3, 441: circumstantis exercitūs gratia, Curt. 9, 3, 15: amici, id. 3, 5, 9.—(b). With acc.:
aliquem, Verg. G. 4, 216; Ov. M. 11, 505; Curt. 5, 12, 9: equites Romani qui circumstant senatum, Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 21: sellam, Liv. 8, 32, 14; Suet. Aug. 35: solem, Ov. M. 2, 394: sacra, id. ib. 2, 717: lectum, Curt. 10, 5, 2.—2. Hence, circumstantes, ĭum, m. subst., the by-standers, Quint. 4, 2, 22; 4, 2, 127; Tac. A. 1, 21; 1, 22; Suet. Caes. 84; id. Aug. 93; Curt. 6, 10, 36.—
B. In partic., to surround in a hostile manner, to beset, besiege:
circumstare tribunal praetoris urbani, obsidere cum gladiis curiam, etc., Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 32: quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant, Liv. 1, 25, 6: si ambo consules infesti circumstarent tribunum, id. 3, 9, 6: urbem Romanam, id. 27, 40, 6: regis tecta, Verg. A. 7, 585; cf. the foll.—II. Trop., to surround, encompass, occupy, take possession of (freq. in post-Aug prose); absol. or with acc.:
cum dies et noctes omnia nos undique fata circumstent, Cic. Phil. 10, 10, 20: circumstant te summae auctoritates, Cic. Verr. 1, 17, 52: cum tanti undique terrores circumstarent, Liv. 6, 2, 4; cf. id. 30, 3, 3: anceps proelium Romanos circumsteterat, incertos in quem hostem eruptionem facerent, id. 25, 34, 10: ancepsque terror circumstabat, id. 21, 28, 3; 34, 27, 1; Quint. 10, 3, 30: haec me cura, haec difficultas sola circumstat, Plin. Pan. 3, 4: at me tum primum saevus circumstetit horror, Verg. A. 2, 559: scio acerba meorum Circumstare odia ( = meos, qui me oderunt), id. ib. 10, 905: circumsteterat Civilem et alius metus, Tac. H. 4, 79: circumsteterat palatium publica exspectatio, id. ib. 1, 17: paupertas et angustiae rerum nascentes eos circumsteterunt, id. Or. 8.—Subst.: circumstantĭa, ium, n., details, circumstances, in an argument: illa (argumenta) per se fortia non oportet circumstantibus obscurare, Quint. 5, 12, 4.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
circum-stō stetī, —, āre
(in perf. like circumsisto), to stand around, take place around: spe praedae adducti circumsteterunt, Cs.: circumstant properi aurigae, V.: circumstantes silvae, O.—To surround, encompass, encircle: aliquem, V.: (puppim) circumstetit aequor, O.: senatum: sellam, L. —To surround, beset, besiege: tribunal: tribunum, L.: regis tecta, V.—Fig., to stand around, threaten, be at hand: ancepsque terror circumstabat, L.: scio meorum Circumstare odia, V.—To surround, encompass, occupy, take possession of: cum nos undique fata circumstent: anceps proelium R. circumsteterat, L.: me circumstetit horror, V.
Origins
Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos)bor. Latin circus Latin circum Latin circum- Latin stō Latin circumstō From circum- + stō.
In English words that came into English from circumstō
- circumstantcircumstāns