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Encompassing on all sides; circumfused; investing. "Ambient air." Milton. "Ambient clouds." Pope.

Circuit or compass. His great parts did not live within a small ambit. Milward.

In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. "This fair tree amidst the garden." "Unseen amid the throng." "Amidst thick clouds." Milton. "Amidst acclamations." "Amidst the splendor and festivity of a court." Macaulay. But rather famish them amid their plenty. Shak.

venly body, when on the horizon, from the magnetic east or west point as indicated by the compass. The difference between the magnetic and the true or astronomical amplitude (see 3 above) is the "variation of the compass."

On all sides of; encircling; encompassing; so as to make the circuit of; about. A lambent flame arose, which gently spread Around his brows. Dryden.

To reach a point by progressive motion; to gain or compass an object by effort, practice, study, inquiry, reasoning, or experiment. To arrive at, or attain to. When he arrived at manhood. Rogers. We arrive at knowledge of a law of nature by the generalization of facts. McCosh. If at great things thou wouldst arrive. Mi…

enables one to look in a particular direction; position in relation to the points of the compass; as, a house has a southern aspect, that is, a position which faces the south.

To achieve or accomplish, that is, to reach by efforts; to gain; to compass; as, to attain rest. Is he wise who hopes to attain the end without the means Abp. Tillotson.

Capable of being attained or reached by efforts of the mind or body; capable of being compassed or accomplished by efforts directed to the object. The highest pitch of perfection attainable in this life. Addison.

To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass; as, to balance the boom mainsail. Balanced valve. See Balance valve, under Balance, n.

A small band or fillet; any little band or flat molding, compassing a column, like a ring. Gwilt.

A male voice, the compass of which partakes of the common bass and the tenor, but which does not descend as low as the one, nor rise as high as the other.

An instrument blown with a reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass, embracing nearly four octaves.

crosses the ship at right angles, or in the direction of her beams, and that point of the compass toward which her stern is directed. -- Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of an engine vibrates. -- Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having sliding sockets that carr…

To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else; as, the land bears N. by E. To bear against, to approach for attack or seizure; as, a lion bears against his prey. [Obs.] -- To bear away (Naut.), to change the course of a ship, and make her run before the wind. -- To bear back, to retreat. "…

a ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, etc.; the direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen; as, the bearing of the cape was W. N. W. (b) pl.

To surround as with a band; to encompass.

To encompass; to begird. Milton.

To encircle with, or as with, a belt; to encompass; to surround. A coarse black robe belted round the waist. C. Reade. They belt him round with hearts undaunted. Wordsworth.

The rim which encompasses and fastens a jewel or other object, as the crystal of a watch, in the cavity in which it is set.