I.to sit around a person or thing, to surround.
I. In gen., absol.: “inter tot milia populi circumsedentis,” App. M. 3, p. 130, 2; Sid. Ep. 3, 13.—With acc.: “florentes amicorum turba circumsedet: circa eversos ingens solitudo est,” Sen. Ep. 9, 9.— Esp.,
II. To encamp around in a hostile manner, to besiege, blockade, invest, encompass, beset (in Cic. and Liv. several times; “elsewhere rare): qui Mutinam circumsedent,” Cic. Phil. 7, 8, 21; 10, 4, 10; id. Deiot. 9, 25; id. Att. 9, 12, 3; 9, 18, 2; 14, 9, 3; 15, 9, 2; Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 14; Sall. J. 21, 3; Nep. Eum. 5, 4; Liv. 21, 10, 5; 23, 15, 3; 25, 13, 1; 25, 22, 7; “42, 65, 12: vallo et armis,” Tac. A. 1, 42: “curiam militibus,” Val. Max. 3, 8, 5: “legatus populi Romani circumsessus, non modo igni, ferro, manu, copiis oppugnatus, sed aliquā ex parte violatus,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 31, § 79: “circumsessus es. A quibus?” id. ib. 2, 1, 32, § “81: populus, qui te circumsedit,” id. ib. 2, 1, 33, § 83; id. Phil. 12, 10, 24; Tac. A. 4, 36: “opem circumsessis ferre,” Liv. 25, 22, 10: “castra circumsessa,” id. 3, 4, 8; 9, 42, 6: “Capitolium,” id. 5, 53, 5.—
B. Trop.: “non ego sum ille ferreus, qui... non movear horum omnium lacrimis, a quibus me circumsessum videtis,” Cic. Cat. 4, 2, 3; so, “circumsessum muliebribus blanditiis,” Liv. 24, 4, 4: “circumsederi urbem Romanam ab invidiā et odio finitimorum,” id. 6, 6, 11.
