Circus : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: Circus	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for Circus
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
circus n a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals; "he ran away from home to join the circus" a performance given by a traveling company of acrobats, clowns, and trained animals; "the children always love to go to the circus" a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment; "it was so funny it was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere" Synonym(s): circus, carnival (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent; "they used the elephants to help put up the circus" a genus of haws comprising the harriers Synonym(s): Circus, genus Circus
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Circus \Cir"cus\, n.; pl. {Circuses}. [L. circus circle, ring, circus (in sense 1). See {Circle}, and cf. {Cirque}.] 1. (Roman Antiq.) A level oblong space surrounded on three sides by seats of wood, earth, or stone, rising in tiers one above another, and divided lengthwise through the middle by a barrier around which the track or course was laid out. It was used for chariot races, games, and public shows. Note: The Circus Maximus at Rome could contain more than 100,000 spectators. --Harpers' Latin Dict. 2. A circular inclosure for the exhibition of feats of horsemanship, acrobatic displays, etc. Also, the company of performers, with their equipage. 3. Circuit; space; inclosure. [R.] The narrow circus of my dungeon wall. --Byron.