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Round or nearly round; becoming round; roundish.

The act, method, or process of laying a groundwork or foundation; hence, elementary instruction; the act or process of applying a ground, as of color, to wall paper, cotton cloth, etc.; a basis.

Inclosing; encircling.

Inattentive to surrounding objects; absent in mind. "An abstracted scholar." Johnson.

The bone of the rump; also, the cut of beef surrounding this bone. [Spelt also edgebone.]

A thin membrane surrounding the embryos of mammals, birds, and reptiles.

A red or yellowish-red dyeing material, prepared from the pulp surrounding the seeds of a tree (Bixa orellana) belonging to the tropical regions of America. It is used for coloring cheese, butter, etc. [Written also Anatto, Anatta, Annatto, Annotta, etc.]

The architectural member surrounding the curved opening of an arch, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a square opening.

In a circuit; here and there within the surrounding space; all about; as, to travel around from town to town.

Profound debility of children due to lack of food and to unhygienic surroundings. --A*threp"tic (#), a.

The whole mass of aëriform fluid surrounding the earth; -- applied also to the gaseous envelope of any celestial orb, or other body; as, the atmosphere of Mars.

A coral island or islands, consisting of a belt of coral reef, partly submerged, surrounding a central lagoon or depression; a lagoon island.

c ~, a supposed electric fluid, emanating from an electrified body, and forming a mass surrounding it, called the electric atmosphere. See Atmosphere, 2.

A circle of feathers surrounding the opening of the ear of birds.

A mound, pile, or ridge of earth, raised above the surrounding level; hence, anything shaped like a mound or ridge of earth; as, a bank of clouds; a bank of snow. They cast up a bank against the city. 2 Sam. xx. 15.

A border one fifth the width of the shield, surrounding the field. It is usually plain, but may be charged.

ridle, an instrument formerly used for correcting scolding women. It was an iron frame surrounding the head and having a triangular piece entering the mouth of the scold.

idge without arches is supported. Butment cheek (Carp.), the part of a mortised timber surrounding the mortise, and against which the shoulders of the tenon bear. Knight.

A detached low mountain, or high rising abruptly from the general level of the surrounding plain; -- applied to peculiar elevations in the Rocky Mountain region. The creek . . . passes by two remarkable buttes of red conglomerate. Ruxton.

a capsula; hollow and fibrous. Capsular ligament (Anat.), a ligamentous bag or capsule surrounding many movable joints in the skeleton.