circus (serk us)

[= F. cirque = Sp. Pg. It. circo = D. G. Sw. circus = Dan. cirkus, This broken circus , where the rock-weeds climb, Flaunting with yellow blo oms, and defy The gods to whom its walls were piled so high. Bryant, Ruins of Italic a (trans.). 2. In modern times, a place of amusement where feats of horsemanship and acrobatic displays form the principal entertainment; the company of performers in such a place, with their equipage; the entertainment given. 3. In England, the space formed at the inter- section of two streets by making the buildings at the angles concave, so as to give the inter- vening space the form of a circle: as, Oxford Circus , Regent Circus , in London.-4. An in- closed space of any kind; a circuit. The narrow circus of my dungeon wall. Byron, Lament of Ta o. cirrhotic (si-rot'ik), a. [ cirrhosis : see -otic .] Affected with or having the character of cir- rhos is. cirri, n. Plural of cirrus . cirri branch (sir'i-brangk), a . and n. [L. cir- rus (see cirrus ) + branch iæ , gills.] I. a . Hav- ing cirrous gills: applied to the tooth-shells. II. n. One of the Cirri branch i at a . Also cirri branchiate . IMG:content-0468.jpg:[graphic] Cirri branch i at a (sir-i-brang-ki-ātā), n . pl . [NL., neut. pl. of cirri branch i at us : see cirri- branchiate.] An order of scaphopod ous mol- lusks, having the oral extremity surmounted by filiform tentacles. It was proposed for the family Cir rob ranch i at a, n. pl . See Cirri branch i at a . cirl (sèrl), n. [ zirlo , whistling (of a thrush), zirlare , whistle (like a thrush), = Sp. chirlar = Pg. chilrar , twitter.] Same as cirl-bunting. [Rare, except in composition.] cirl-bunting (sèrl'bunting), n. [ Fringillidæ and ge- nus Emberiza , the E. cirl us , a common Euro- pean species. Also written as two words, cirl bunting . cirque (sėrk), n. [Early mod. E. also cirke ; cirque , cir- cus, and cf. circ.] 1. A cir- cus. [Obso- IMG:content-0469.jpg:[blocks in formation] Cirl-bunting ( Emberiza cirl us). it seemeth that the Sunne had a spec i all interest in this. Sandys , Travailes, p. 232. See, the Cirque falls! th' unpillar'd temple nods. Pope , Dunciad, iii. 107. 2. A circle; specifically, a circle regarded as inclosing any space or surrounding any object or group of objects. [Obsolete or poetical.] chia, Cirrhibranchia , Cir rob ranch i a , Cir rob ranch i at a , Cir- rho branchia , etc. cirri branchiate (sir-i-brang'ki-at), a. and n. [ cirri branch i at us , cirrus (see cirrus ) + NL. see cirri branch and branchiate .] Same as cirri- cirriferous (si-rif'e-rus), a . cirrus ) + ferre , E. bear1 , + -ous.] Provided with cirri or a cirrus; cirrigerous. cirriform (sir'i-fôrm), a. [= F. cirri for me , L. cirrus (see cirrus ) + form a , form.] Formed like a tendril; curly, as a cirrus. cirrigerous (si-rij'e-rus), a . [L. cirrus (see cirrus) + gerere , carry, + -ous .] Bearing cirri or a cirrus; cirrate; cirriferous. Huxley , Anat. Invert., p. 206. [ cirrus cirrigrade (sir'i-grad), a . and n. (see cirrus ) + grad i , go.] I. a. Moving by means of tendril-like appendages: as, cirrigrade Acalephœ . Carpenter. II. n. That which moves by means of cirri. R. Owen . cirriped, cirripede (sir'i-ped, -ped), a. and n. [= F. cirripède , cirripes ( -ped- ), rus (see cirrus ) + pes ( ped- ) = E. foot .] I. a. Having feet like cirri; specifically, pertaining to the Cirriped i a . Also cirropodous . II. n. One of the Cirriped i a . Certain hermaphrodite cirripedes are aided in their re- production by a whole cluster of what I have called com- plemental males, which differ wonderfully from the ord i- nary hermaphrodite form. Also cirrhiped, cirrhipede , cirrhopod, cirrho- pode , cirropod , cirropode . Cirriped a (si-rip'e-da), n. pl. An improper cirripede, a . and n. See cirriped . Cirriped i a (sir-i-pē ́di-ä), n . pl . of cirripes ( -ped- ): see cirriped .] low parasitic entomostracous crustaceans; the barnacles and acorn-shells. They have a multi valvular shell or carapace, and a mantle. The abdomen is rud i- mentary or obsolete; the feet are in the form of cirri (whence the name) and normally 6 in number; the sexes are mostly united, or, if distinct, the male is a minute parasite of the fe- male; and the young are free, but the adults are affixed by the head to some foreign body, either by a long peduncle exserted from the shell, or oftener by a short proce inclosed in the shell. These singularly meta- Keats , Hyper i on, 1. morphosed and disguised crusta- ceans become degraded by parasitism mature, the free young IMG:content-0470.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0471.jpg:[ocr errors] than the fixed adults. They are usual- ly divided into three orders, Thora- cica , Abdominal i a , and Apoda , to which a fourth, Rhizocephala , is sometimes added. Also Cirrhipeda , Cirrhipedia , Cirrhopoda , Cirrhopo- des , Cirriped a , Cirripedes , etc. See also cuts under Balanus and Lepas . Cirrites (si-rī'tēz), n. [NL. (Oken, 1816), typical Phily IMG:content-0472.jpg:[blocks in formation] 1803. cirritid (sir'i-tid), n. A fish of the family Cir- ritidæ . Also cirrhitid. Cirritidæ (si-rit'i-dē), n . pl . [NL., Cirrites + -ida .] A family of acanthopterygian fishes, represented by the genus Cirrites , Cirrites , to which dif ferent limits have been ascribed. They have per- fect ventral fins, no bony stay for the pre operculum, a con- tinuous lateral line, the lower rays of the pectoral fins un- branched, and neither trenchant teeth nor molars in the jaws. The species are confined to the Pacific ocean, and some are important food-fishes. The family has been di- vided into the subfamilies Cirritinæ , Chilodactylinæ , Chi- roneminæ, and Haplodactylince . Also Cirrhitidæ . cirro-cumulus (sir-ō-kū ́mū-lus), n. rus (see cirrus ) + cumulus , a heap: see cumulus .] A form of cloud having the character of both the cirrus and the cumulus. See cloud1, 1. Cirrodermaria IMG:content-0473.png:[graphic] IMG:content-0474.jpg:[graphic] IMG:content-0475.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0476.jpg:[blocks in formation] + MGr. τομία , a cutting: see anatomy .] In cispadane (sis-pā dān), a. [L. cis , on this side, surg ., the removal of a varix with a knife. + Padus , the river Po, adj. Padanus .] Situated Cis (sis), n . [NL. (Latreille, 1798), κίς , a on this side of the Po, with regard to Rome-that worm in wood or grain.] A ge- nus of xylophagous coleopter- ous insects, giving name to a family Cioidæ or Cisida . Some are minute beetles which infest the va- rio us species of Boleti or mushrooms. The larvæ of others do much harm to books, furniture, wood of houses, etc., by piercing them with small holes. Those which perforate books are popu- larly known as book - worms . cis-. [L. cis , prep., on this side, male. (Line shows natural size.) prefix in Cis - alpinus , cis - montan us , Cis -rhena- Cis-tiberis, adj., adj., on this side of the Alps, Rhine, the Tiber; compar. ci-, this.] A prefix of Latin origin, signify- ing on this side of, forming adjectives with names of rivers, mountains, etc. In compounds of cis atlantic (sis-at-lan'tik), a. [ Atlan- tic.] Situated on this (the speaker's) side of the Atlantic ocean. I mean only to suggest a doubt... whether nature has enlisted herself as a cis- or trans- Atlantic partisan. Jefferson, Notes on Virginia (1787), p. 107. The two voices were pitched in an unforgotten key, and equally native to our Cis atlantic air. H. James , Jr. , Pa ionate Pilgrim, i. cisco (sis'kō), n. [Origin unknown.] A name of sundry species of whitefish, of the genus Core- gon us. C. artedii , also called lake - herring , is the largest and most important of the American species; it is more elongate than the rest, with relatively larger mouth and projecting lower jaw. The cisco of Lake Michigan, C. hoy i , is the smallest, most slender, and handsomest of the IMG:content-0477.png:[blocks in formation] Cat . Spec . Exhib . S. K. , 1862, No. 826. ciselure (sēz'lūr), n. [F., ciseler , chisel, carve, 1. The art or operation of chasing.-2. The chasing upon a piece of metal-work. cirsoid (ser's oid), a. [ κιρσός , varicocele, chase, ciseau , OF. cisel , a chisel: see chisel2 .] + είδος , form.] Caused or characterized by an enlargement of a blood-ve el. - Cirsoid aneu- Cisleithan (sis-li'than), a . [ cis- + Leitha : see def.] This side of the Leitha, a river flowing partly along the boundary between Hungary and the archduchy of Austria: applied to that division of the Austro-Hungarian empire hav- ing its seat in Vienna. See Austrian . IMG:content-0478.jpg:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0479.png:[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small] ci oriumt, n. See sci orium . Ci us (sis'us), n . [NL. (so called in reference to their scrambling roots), κισσός , Attic κιττός , ivy.] A genus of plants, of the natural order Vitaceæ , nearly allied to the grape ( Vitis ), and united with IMG:content-0480.jpg:[graphic] it by some au- thorities. It dif- fers chiefly in hav- ing but 4 petals, which usually ex- pand before falling, 200 species, mostly found within the tropics, and usually climbing by ten- drils. cist1 (sist), n. [= F. ciste (= AS. cest, > E. chest1), chest , and cf. cist2 .] A case; a chest; a bas- ket. Specifically, in archæol.: (a) One Ficoroni Cist (Etruscan), 3d century B. C.- cisleyt, n . An obsolete form of cicely . cismatan (sis'ma-tan), n . The seeds of the a chest: see Ca ia abs us , obtained from central Africa, and used in Egypt in the preparation of remedies for ophthalmia. De Colange. cismontane (sis-mon'tān), a. [= F. cismon- tain, cis , on this side, + mon(t-)s, mountain, adj. montan us : see moun- tain.] Situated on this (the speaker's) side of the mountain; specifically, on the northern side of the Alps (with special reference to the relation of the peoples north of Italy to the see of Rome): opposed to ultramontane. The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: The Century dictionary IMG:content-0482.png:[blocks in formation] cistella (sis-tel'ä), n.; pl. cistellæ (-6). [L. (NL.), dim. of cist a, a box: see cist1, chest1.] 1. In bot., the capsular shield of some lichens. 2. [ cap.] [NL.] In zoöl., a genus of brachiopods, of the family Terebratulida. J. E. Gray, 1853.-3. [ cap.] [NL.] In entom., the typical genus of the family Cistellidæ. C. ceramboides and C. sulphurea are examples. Also Cistela . Cistellidæ (sis-tel'i-dē), n. pl. [NL.,