I.to pour out around, i.e. as in circumdo, either with the acc. of that which is poured, to pour around; or, with the acc. of that around which something is poured, to surround with a liquid (class. in prose and poetry).
I. Lit.
A. With acc. of the liquid poured (with or without dat. of the object around which): “amurcam ad oleam circumfundito,” Cato, R. R. 93: “Tigris urbi circumfunditur,” surrounds, flows round the town, Plin. 6, 27, 31, § 132.— More freq. in part. perf. pass.: “mare circumfusum urbi,” the sea flowing around the town, Liv. 30, 9, 12: “gens circumfusis invia fluminibus,” Ov. F. 5, 582: “circumfusus nobis spiritus,” Quint. 12, 11, 13: “nec circumfuso pendebat in aëre tellus,” circumambient, Ov. M. 1, 12; imitated by Tib. 4, 1, 151.— “Reflex.: circumfudit se repente nubes,” Lact. 4, 21, 1.—Once mid.: cum fervet (lac), ne circumfundatur, etc., pour itself out around, i. e. run over, Plin. 28, 9, 33, § 126; cf.: “circumfusa nubes,” Verg. A. 1, 586.—
B. With acc. of the object around which, etc., with or without abl. of the fluid: “(mortuum) cerā circumfuderunt,” Nep. Ages. 8, 7: “terram crassissimus circumfundit aër,” encompasses, envelops, Cic. N. D. 2, 6, 17: “terra circumfusa illo mari, quem oceanum appellatis,” id. Rep. 6, 20, 21: “et multo nebulae circum dea fudit amictu (tmesis),” Verg. A. 1, 412: “quas circumfuderat atra tempestas,” Sil. 7, 723.—
II. Transf. to objects that do not flow, esp. if there is a great multitude, as it were, heaped upon a thing.
A. (Acc. to I. 1.) Mid., to press upon, crowd around, embrace closely, cling to (freq. in the histt.): “circumfunduntur ex reliquis hostes partibus,” Caes. B. G. 6, 37; 7, 28; id. B. C. 3. 63: “equites infestis cuspidibus circumfunduntur,” Liv. 10, 36, 9; 25, 34, 9; 27, 19, 3; “44, 23, 8: (Nymphae) circumfusae Dianam Corporibus texere suis,” surrounding, Ov. M. 3, 180: “multitudo circumfusa,” Caes. B. G. 6, 34; Liv. 2, 28, 6; 4, 46, 6; Curt. 8, 14, 31; Quint. 4, 2, 37.—With the dat. of that upon which a multitude presses: “circumfundebantur obviis sciscitantes,” Liv. 22, 7, 11; 22, 14, 15; 26, 27, 10; “29, 34, 14 al.: circumfusa turba lateri meo,” id. 6, 15, 9: ut lateribus circumfundi posset equitatus. Curt. 3, 9, 12. —With acc. (depending on circum): Pacidiussuos equites exporrigere coepit... uthaberent facultatem turmas Julianas circumfundi, to surround, encompass them, Auct. B. Afr. 78 Oud. N. cr.—Poet. also of a single person: et nunc hac juveni, nunc circumfunditur illac, i. e. clings to, or closely embraces him, Ov. M. 4, 360; 14, 354; cf. with acc.: “hunc (sc. Mavortem), tu, diva, tuo recubantem corpore sancto circumfusa super,” Lucr. 1, 40.—
2. Trop.: “undique circumfusae molestiae,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 41, 121: “non est tantum ab hostibus aetati nostrae periculum, quantum ab circumfusis undique voluptatibus, Liv 30, 14, 6: circumfuso nitore,” Quint. 4, 1, 59.—
B. (Acc. to I. 2.) To enclose, environ, surround, overwhelm: “circumfusus publicorum praesidiorum copiis,” Cic. Mil. 26, 71: “praefectum castrorum circumfundunt,” Tac. A. 12, 38; so id. H. 2, 19; 4, 20; id. A. 13, 40; Plin. 5, 12, 13, § 67; Sil. 7, 306: “circumfusus hostium concursu,” Nep. Chabr. 4, 2: “M. Catonem vidi in bibliothecā sedentem, multis circumfusum Stoicorum libris,” Cic. Fin. 3, 2, 7; Quint. 9, 4, 91, Curt. 3, 11, 4: “amplexibus alicujus,” Vell. 2, 123, 3: “X. milia Bojorum alio latere quam exspectabatur missis legionibus circumfudit,” Front. 1, 2, 7.—
2. Trop.: “cum has terras incolentes circumfusi erant caligine,” Cic. Tusc. 1, 19, 45: “latent ista omnia crassis occultata et circumfusa tenebris,” id. Ac. 2, 39, 122: “ut, quantā luce ea circumfusa sunt, possint agnoscere,” id. ib. 2, 15, 46: “eos stultitiā obruit, tenebris circumfundit,” Lact. 3, 29, 14: “circumfundit, aliquem multo splendore,” Sen. Tranq. 1, 9.