a canvassing

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ambĭtĭo, ōnis, f. [ambio], a going round.

In the time of the republic, t. t. (v. ambio, II. B.), the going about of candidates for office in Rome, and the soliciting of individual citizens for their vote, a canvassing, suing for office (by just and lawful means;

while ambitus denotes unlawful means, as bribery, threats, etc.): quid de nostris ambitionibus loquar?

Cic. Tusc. 2, 26, 62:

mea me ambitio ab omni illā cogitatione abstrahebat,

id. Sull. 4:

cum ambitionis nostrae tempora postulabant,

id. Planc. 18, 45:

si infinitus forensium rerum labor et ambitionis occupatio decursu honorum etiam aetatis flexu constitisset,

id. de Or. 1, 1, 1:

hic magistratus a populo summā ambitione contenditur,

id. Verr. 2, 53, 131:

tanta exarsit ambitio, ut primores civitatis prensarent homines,

Liv. 3, 35, 1 et saep.—

A.. In gen., a striving for one's favor or good-will; an excessive desire to please, flattery, adulation:

ambitione labi,

Cic. Brut. 69, 244:

sive aliquā suspitione sive ambitione adducti,

id. Clu. 28, 76:

in Scipione ambitio major, vita tristior,

id. Off. 1, 30, 108 Heus., Beier, and Gernh.: Dionysius Platonem magnā ambitione Syracusas perduxit, in an ostentatious manner, for the purpose of securing his favor, Nep. Dion, 2, 2 Br. and Dähn.:

ambitio (i.e. studium Fabiis placendi) obstabat,

Liv. 5, 36:

ambitione relegatā,

without flattery, Hor. S. 1, 10, 84: ambitionem scriptoris facile averseris, obtrectatio et livor pronis auribus accipiuntur, Tac. H. 1, 1:

nullo officii aut ambitionis genere omisso, i.e. nullis blanditiis,

Suet. Oth. 4:

coronas quam parcissime et sine ambitione tribuit,

id. Aug. 25 et saep.—Hence, also partiality:

jus sibi per ambitionem dictum non esse,

Liv. 3, 47.—

With the predom. idea of the purpose or end, a desire for honor, popularity, power, display, etc.; in bon. part., ambition; in mal. part., vanity. —So in Lucr. of the ambitious efforts of men:

Angustum per iter luctantes ambitionis,

struggling to press through the narrow way of ambition, Lucr. 5, 1132:

me ambitio quaedam ad honorum studium duxit,

Cic. Att. 1, 17:

Miserrima omnino est ambitio honorumque contentio,

id. Off. 1, 25:

a quo incepto studioque me ambitio mala detinuerat,

Sall. C. 4, 2:

aut ab avaritiā aut miserā ambitione laborat,

Hor. S. 1, 4, 26:

Vitā solutorum miserā ambitione gravique,

id. ib. 1, 6, 129; so id. ib. 2, 3, 78;

2, 6, 18: inanis,

id. Ep. 2, 2, 207:

levis,

Ov. F. 1, 103 al.:

licet ipsa vitium sit ambitio, tamen frequenter causa virtutum est,

Quint. 1, 2, 22:

perversa,

id. 10, 7, 20:

funerum nulla ambitio,

no display, pomp, Tac. G. 27.—

Great exertion:

cum admitti magnā ambitione aegre obtinuisset,

Just. 1, 3.—

That which surrounds (v. ambio, 2.;

postclass. for ambitus): vimineos alveos circumdant ambitione tergorum bubulorum,

with a wrapping of cowhide, Sol. 22:

fuliginem ambitio extimae cutis cohibet,

id. 35: ita assedimus, ut me ex tribus medium lateris ambitione protegerent, Min. Oct. 4.

ambītus, a, um, Part. of ambio.

ambĭtus, ūs, m. [ambio].

Lit. A going round, a moving round about, a revolution:

cum se octo ambitus ad idem caput rettulerint,

Cic. Tim. 9:

aquae per amoenos ambitus agros,

Hor. A. P. 17 (cf. ambio, II. A.):

alligata mutuo ambitu (i. e. amplexu) corpora,

Petr. 132:

ambitu breviore luna currit quam sol,

Plin. 2, 23, 21, § 86:

saeculorum,

Tac. A. 6, 28:

verborum (i. e. ambages),

Suet. Tib. 71.—

Transf.

Abstr. pro concr., a circuit, circle, circumference, periphery, edge of a circular object:

ambitus parmae,

Plin. 36, 5, 4, § 4:

folia ambitu serrato,

id. 25, 6, 30, § 66:

castra lato ambitu,

Tac. A. 1, 61; 4, 49:

ambitus lacus,

Suet. Claud. 21.— Trop., of discourse, periphrasis, circumlocution, = ambages:

multos circa unam rem ambitus facere,

Liv. 27, 27.—Hence, the open space left round a house:

ambitus est quod circumeundo teritur,

Varr. L. L. 5, § 22 Müll.:

P. Scaevola id solum esse ambitus aedium dixerit, quo etc.,

Cic. Top. 4: ambitus proprie dicitur inter vicinorum aedificia locus duorum pedum et semipedis ad circumeundi facultatem relictus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 16 Müll. —Also, the small space around sepulchres, Dig. 47, 12, 5.—

An unlawful striving for posts of honor, or canvassing for office; esp. by bribery (cf. ambitio, I.), prohibited by the Lex Calpurnia, Caecilia, Fabia, Julia, Licinia, Tullia de ambitu, against bribery, corruption, etc.:

legem ambitus flagitāsti,

Cic. Mur. 23:

punire ambitum,

id. ib. 32, 67; cf. Sall. C. 18, 2 Kritz:

accusare aliquem ambitus,

Cic. Clu. 41:

deferre nomen alicujus de ambitu,

id. Cael. 31:

interrogare aliquem legibus ambitus,

Sall. C. 18, 2:

damnatus ambitus,

Cic. Clu. 41:

condemnare de ambitu,

Suet. Caes. 41 al.:

effusae ambitus largitiones,

Nep. Att. 6.—

In gen., the desire to make a display, ostentation, vanity, show, parade:

relinque ambitum: tumida res est vana, ventosa,

Sen. Ep. 84:

proprius quidam intellegendi ambitus,

Quint. 12, 10, 3.—Of speech, bombastic fulness, parade:

imagine et ambitu rerum,

Quint. 10, 1, 16 Fr.; id. Decl. 4 fin. —

In rhet., a period:

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum (si sic periodum appellari placet),

Cic. Brut. 44, 162; id. Or. 12; so id. ib. 50.

circŭm-ĕo or circŭĕŏ (v. circum, III.; Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 736 sq.), īvi or ii, circuĭtum, īre ( inf. pass. circumirier, Plaut. Curc. 3, 81), v. n. and a.

Prop., to go around, travel or march around, etc. (class.): sparsis Medea capillis Bacchantum ritu flagrantes circuit aras, Ov. M. 7, 258:

per hortum circuit,

makes a circuit, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 152; cf. Nep. Eum. 9, 2:

si rectum limitem rupti torrentibus pontes inciderint, circumire cogemur,

Quint. 2, 13, 16: an quasi mare omnes circumimus insulas? i. e. from one to another (cf. circum, II. C.), Plaut. Men. 2, 1, 6:

alvearia,

Col. 9, 9:

fines equis,

id. 1, 3:

praedia,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

haec una opera circuit per familias,

Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 53:

qui imperavit ei, ut omnes fores aedificii circumiret,

Nep. Hann. 12, 4:

urbem,

Liv. 23, 25, 2:

Marcio et Atilio Epirus, Aetolia et Thessalia circumeundae assignantur... Lentuli circumeuntes Peloponnesi oppida, etc.,

id. 42, 37, 3 and 7:

haud ignarus erat circuitam ab Romanis eam (Hispaniam) legatis,

id. 21, 22, 1:

Civilis avia Belgarum circumibat,

Tac. H. 4, 70:

manibus nexis trunci modum,

to surround, Ov. M. 8, 748:

non potuere uno anno circumirier,

Plaut. Curc. 3, 81:

proximis insulis circuitis,

Suet. Aug. 98:

equites circumitis hostium castris Crasso renuntiaverunt,

Caes. B. G. 3, 25:

circuitis templis,

Suet. Ner. 19 al.:

at pater omnipotens ingentia moenia caeli Circuit,

Ov. M. 2, 402:

circueunt unum Phineus et mille secuti Phinea,

surround, id. ib. 5, 157 (cf. circum, II. E.): Leucada continuam veteres habuere coloni;

nunc freta circumeunt,

flow around it, id. ib. 15, 290:

more lupi oves,

id. P. 1, 2, 20:

metam ferventi rotā,

avoids, id. A. A. 3, 396.—

Esp.

To surround, encircle, enclose, encompass.

Esp. in milit. lang.:

totam urbem muro turribusque circumiri posse,

Caes. B. C. 2, 16:

aciem, sinistrum cornu,

id. ib. 3, 93 sq.:

multitudine circumiri,

Nep. Them. 3, 2; id. Dat. 7, 3; Liv. 41, 26, 4; Gall. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30, 4:

ab iisdem acies Pompeiana a sinistrā parte erat circumita,

Caes. B. C. 3, 94.—

In gen., absol.:

quae circumibit linea, ejusdem spatii erit, cujus ea quae centum continet,

Quint. 1, 10, 44.—With acc.:

extremas oleis pacalibus oras (Pallas),

Ov. M. 6, 101:

cujus non hederae circumiere caput,

Prop. 2 (3), 5, 26.—

To go from one to another, soliciting, canvassing, admonishing, etc., qs. to go the rounds (stronger than ambire, which signif. to go to this one and that; most freq. after the Aug. per.;

in Cic. perh. only once, in his epistt.): itaque prenso amicos, supplico, ambio domos stationesque circumeo,

Plin. Ep. 2, 9, 5:

(Antonium) circumire veteranos, ut acta Caesaris sancirent,

Cic. Att. 14, 21, 2; Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 11, 2:

Quinctilius circumire aciem Curionis atque obsecrare milites coepit,

Caes. B. C. 2, 28:

sed ipse Romulus circumibat docebatque,

Liv. 1, 9, 14; 1, 47, 7; 3, 47, 2:

ille Persarum tabernacula circumire, hortari,

Curt. 5, 9, 17; Tac. A. 2, 29; Plin. Pan. 69, 2; Suet. Aug. 56; id. Tib. 11:

rex agmen circuibat pedes,

Curt. 7, 3, 17; cf.:

cui orbem terrarum circumire non erit longum meā causā,

Plin. Ep. 7, 16, 4; 2, 9, 5.—

Trop.

To surround, enclose:

totius belli fluctibus circumiri,

Cic. Phil. 18, 9, 20:

ne superante numero et peritiā locorum circumiretur,

Tac. Agr. 25 fin.; Stat. S. 4, 4, 26.—

Like our circumvent, to deceive, impose upon, cheat, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 109:

facinus indignum, Sic circumiri,

Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 9:

puerum arte dolosā,

Mart. 8, 59, 14.—

Of discourse, to express by circumlocution (postAug.):

res plurimae carent appellationibus, ut eas necesse sit transferre aut circumire,

Quint. 12, 10, 34; 8, prooem. § 24 Spald.;

8, 2, 17: Vespasiani nomen suspensi et vitabundi circumibant,

went around, avoided mentioning it, Tac. H. 3, 37.