I.to cut around, cut, clip, trim (orig. in agriculture; “syn.: amputo, reseco): ars agricolarum, quae circumcidat, amputet, erigat, etc.,” Cic. Fin. 5, 14, 39: “gemmam acuto scalpello circumcidito... ejusdem spatii corticem circumcidito,” Col. Arb. 26, 8; 12, 36: “latera scrobis,” id. 5, 9, 9: “arbores ad medullam,” Plin. 16, 39, 74, § 191: “aciem,” Lucr. 3, 412: “caespitem gladiis,” Caes. B. G. 5, 42: “ungues,” Cels. 7, 26, 2: “volnus,” Plin. 25, 5, 25, § 61: “genitalia (Judaeorum),” to circumcise, Tac. H. 5, 5; cf. Petr. 102, 14; Gell. 17, 15, 7; Cels. 7, 25 init.—
II. Trop., to cut off, shorten, diminish, abridge, circumscribe (very freq. in prose; “syn.: amputo, reseco, demo, aufero): testatur saepe Chrysippus, tres solas esse sententias, quae defendi possint, de finibus bonorum: circumcidit et amputat multitudinem,” Cic. Ac. 2, 45, 138; “so with amputo,” id. de Or. 1, 15, 65; id. Fin. 1, 13, 44: “sumptus circumcisi aut sublati,” Liv. 32, 27, 4; so, “impensam funeri,” Phaedr. 4, 19, 25: “circumcisā omni negotiosā actione,” Cels. 4, 25: “circumcidendum vinum est in totum annum,” to be abstained from, id. 4, 20.—Of discourse, to lop or cut off, to remove: “circumcisis rebus, quae non arbitror pertinere ad agriculturam,” Varr. R. R. 1, 1, 11: “circumcidat, si quid redundabit,” Quint. 10, 2, 28; 4, 2, 42 Spald.: “(oratio) rotunda et undique circumcisa,” id. 8, 5, 27; 10, 1, 104: “ineptas quaestiones,” Sen. Contr. 2, 11.—Hence, cir-cumcīsus , a, um, P. a., lit. cut off around, cut off; hence,
A. Of localities = abscisus, abruptus, cut off from connection with the region around, steep, precipitous, inaccessible: “saxum,” Cic. Rep. 2, 6, 11: “Henna ab omni aditu circumcisa atque directa,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 48, § 107: “collis ex omni parte circumcisus,” Caes. B. G. 7, 36. —
B. Trop., abridged, short, brief (so prob. not before the Aug. per.): “quid enim tam circumcisum, tam breve, quam hominis vita longissima?” Plin. Ep. 3, 7, 11.—Of discourse: “circumcisae orationes et breves,” Plin. Ep. 1, 20, 4; cf. “supra,” Quint. 8, 5, 27. —Adv.: circumcīsē , briefly: “rem ante oculos ponere circumcise atque velociter,” Quint. 8, 3, 81; * Suet. Rhet. 6; Macr. 5, 1.