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One of the dowels joining the ends of the fellies which form the circle of the wheel of a gun carriage. Wilhelm.

Deviating or departing from the center, or from the line of a circle; as, an eccentric or elliptical orbit; pertaining to deviation from the center or from true circular motion.

A great circle of the celestial sphere, making an angle with the equinoctial of about 23º 28'. It is the apparent path of the sun, or the real path of the earth as seen from the sun.

An order of Bryozoa in which the anus lies outside the circle of tentacles.

To move as an eddy, or as in an eddy; to move in a circle. Eddying round and round they sink. Wordsworth.

The distance of a celestial object above the horizon, or the arc of a vertical circle intercepted between it and the horizon; altitude; as, the elevation of the pole, or of a star.

blong figure, bounded by a regular curve, which corresponds to an oblique projection of a circle, or an oblique section of a cone through its opposite sides. The greatest diameter of the ellipse is the major axis, and the least diameter is the minor axis. See Conic section, under Conic, and cf. Focus.…

A solid, all plane sections of which are ellipses or circles. See Conoid, n., 2 (a).

Deviation of an ellipse or a spheroid from the form of a circle or a sphere; especially, in reference to the figure of the earth, the difference between the equatorial and polar semidiameters, divided by the equatorial; thus, the ellipticity of the earth is

To encircle or embrace. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

; as, a balance is an emblem of justice; a scepter, the emblem of sovereignty or power; a circle, the emblem of eternity. "His cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister cheek." Shak.

To encircle; to encompass; to inclose. Low at his feet a spacious plain is placed, Between the mountain and the stream embraced. Denham.

high degree; to charm; to enrapture; as, music enchants the ear. Arcadia was the charmed circle where all his spirits forever should be enchanted. Sir P. Sidney.

close in a border or rim; to surround with an ornamental casing, as a gem with gold; to encircle; to inclose; to adorn. Enchased with a wanton ivy twine. Spenser. An precious stones, in studs of gold enchased, The shaggy velvet of his buskins graced. Mickle.

To circumscribe or go round so as to surround closely; to encircle; to inclose; to environ; as, a ring encompasses the finger; an army encompasses a city; a voyage encompassing the world. Shak. A question may be encompassed with difficulty. C. J. Smith. The love of all thy sons encompass thee. Tennyson.…

The circle of arts and sciences; a comprehensive summary of knowledge, or of a branch of knowledge; esp., a work in which the various branches of science or art are discussed separately, and usually in alphabetical order; a cyclopedia.

Embracing the whole circle of learning, or a wide range of subjects.

To encircle with a garland, or with garlands. Sir P. Sidney.

To bind or encircle with lace, or as with lace; to lace; to encircle; to enfold; hence, to entangle. Ropes of pearl her neck and breast enlace. P. Fletcher.

To encircle. [R.] The Muses and the Graces, grouped in threes, Enringed a billowing fountain in the midst. Tennyson.