about Copy link Outline A. Prep.I. AroundII. In the neighbourhood ofIII. In attendance onIV. Near (in time)1. circā, circĭter (with acc.)2. ăd (with acc.). ab. evening, ad vesperum, Caes.3. dē (with abl.)4. sŭb (with acc. or abl.)V. Respecting, concerning2. sŭpĕr (with abl.)3. circā (with acc.B. Adverb.I. Of PlaceII. Of degree2. circĭter3. fĕrē4. fermē5. fortassĕ (like our perhaps)6. quăsĭ (prop. as it were)7. instar (prop. a neut. subst. = likeness, and hence with gen.) • about: A. Prep. I. Around: circā, circum (with acc.): they collected wood ab. the hut, ligna contulerunt circa casam, Nep.: her hair thrown back carelessly ab. her head, capillus circum caput rejectus negligenter, Ter. II. In the neighbourhood of: circā, circum: ab. rivers and lakes there is frequent mist, circa flumina et lacus frequens nebula est, Sen.: Vell.: I shall tarry ab. these places, circum haec loca commorabor, Cic. III. In attendance on: circā, circum: he had three hundred unarmed youths ab. him, trecentos juvenes inermes circa se habebat, Liv.: he always has a great body of cavalry ab. him, magnum numerum equitatus circum se semper habet, Caes. IV. Near (in time): 1. circā, circĭter (with acc.): ab. the same hour, circa eandem horam, Liv.: ab. the time of Cicero, circa Ciceronem, Sen.: he led the army back ab. noon, circiter meridiem exercitum reduxit, Caes. 2. ăd (with acc.). ab. evening, ad vesperum, Caes.: when he was ab. forty years old, quum annos ad quadraginta natus esset, Cic. 3. dē (with abl.): ab. midnight, de media nocte, Caes.: ab. the third watch, de tertia vigilia, Caes.: Suet. 4. sŭb (with acc. or abl.): ab. night-time Pompey sailed, Pompeius sub noctem naves solvit, Caes.: ab. the same time, sub eodem tempore, Ov. V. Respecting, concerning: dē (with abl.): a dream ab. money, de argento somnium, Ter.: I wondered ab. Dionysius, de Dionysio sum admiratus, Cic. 2. sŭpĕr (with abl.): I will write to you ab. this matter, hac s. re scribam ad te, Cic.: often asking many things ab. Priam, multa s. Priamo rogitans, Virg. 3. circā (with acc.: rare): a dispute ab. words, c. verba dissensio, Quint. B. Adverb.: I. Of Place: in combination with verbs: as, to walk about, ride about, etc. These are in reality compound verbs, and expr. in Latin by a single word, as dĕambŭlo, circumvĕhor, etc. See to walk, ride, etc. II. Of degree: nearly: circā (rare): the victors slew ab. 500 Romans, c. quingentos Romanorum victores ceciderunt, Liv. 2. circĭter: he reached the frontiers of the Belgae in ab. fifteen days, diebus c. quindecim ad fines Belgarum pervenit, Caes.: ab. a fourth part was furnished with military weapons, c. pars quarta erat militaribus armis instructa, Sall. 3. fĕrē: ab. the fifth hour, quinta fere hora, Caes.: for ab. 600 years, sexcentos f. annos, Cic. 4. fermē: this happened ab. two years ago, hoc factum est f. abhinc biennium, Pl.: ab. a half, pars f. dimidia, Liv. 5. fortassĕ (like our perhaps): out of many books of Isocrates he chose ab. thirty lines, elegit ex multis Isocratis libris triginta f. versus, Cic. 6. quăsĭ (prop. as it were): I have collected ab. fifteen talents, quasi talenta ad quindecim coegi, Ter.: at ab. the bottom of the page, q. in extrema pagina, Cic. 7. instar (prop. a neut. subst. = likeness, and hence with gen.): Tiro has ab. seventy of my letters, habet Tiro instar septuaginta mearum epistolarum, Cic.: v. around. Phr.: to have one's wits ab. one, praesenti animo esse, Cic.: to seize one ab. the middle, medium aliquem arripere, Ter.--N.B. The two languages do not exactly correspond in the uses of these words, and hence the English adverb is sometimes expressed by a Latin preposition, but the examples are classified in accordance with the English.
ABOUT Copy link • ABOUTcircum (prepositon and adverb, denotes (1) motion round a centre: circum axem se convertere, (2) motion from one to another of a number of objects; e.g., to send any body, circum amicoa, circum insulas, etc.; (3) position, entirely or partly, round an inclosed object: capillus circum caput rejectus): circa (preposition and adverb, denotes proximity, considered as a point or points in an inclosing line or space, rather than as an extended portion of such line or space. “Circum urbem conmorari, est in conclusa vicinitate versari; circa urbem, in propinqua regione, haud procul” Handrianus, Turs., ii., p. 50. Not used by Plaut., Ter., Lucr., Sall. and seldom by Cic.). Nearly, in approximate statements, fere, ferme (two forms of the same word: about, both of time and number; not as a loose statement, but of a statement believed to be as accurate as possible or necessary): circiter, circa, ad (about, of time and number; circiter as adverb and preposition with accusative, Cic. never uses circa in this way, but Liv., Curt., etc., do): sub (with accusative): quinta fere hora = in the course of the fifth hour, Handrianus: circiter eandem horam. About noon, circiter or ad meridiem. About the fourth part, circiter pars quarta. About 500 were taken, ad quingentos capti sunt. About Pompey’s days, circa Pompeium (Quint.), circa Pompeii aetatem (Plin.). Concerning, circa (with respect to: where earlier writers use in, de, ad, erga, etc., after negligens, assiduus: circa bonas artes socordia, Tac. To be employed about, in aliqua re versari. Later writers, circa aliquam rem versari; in aliqua re occupatum esse): de (after audire, dicere, judicare, scribere, etc., legatos de aliqua re mittere): super (with ablative, to write or do anything, super aliqua re, Cic.: to be sent, super aliqua re, Cic., Nep.). To go or set about anything, aggredi, conari, moliri, etc. Vid. BEGIN, UNDERTAKE. To take anybody about the waist, aliquem medium complecti. What are you about? quid agis? To bring about, aliquid efficere; effectum dare or reddere. About, before infin. is to be translated by the partic. in -dus.