Forms: 3–6 -staunce, 4 -stanse, -staunse, 4–6 cyrcumstaunce, (5 syrcumstaunce, scircumstance), 6 cyrcumstance, (cercumstans, surcomstance), 3– circumstance. [a. OF. circum-, circonstance (13th c. in Littré), ad. L. circumstantia standing around, surrounding condition, f. circumstant-em pr. pple. of circumstāre to stand around, f. circum around + stāre to stand. Like assistance, and sbs. in -ance generally, this was originally a sb. of action or condition, not taking a or pl.; but in most current senses it has become determinate and capable of plurality.]
I. That which surrounds materially, morally or logically.
† 1. That which stands around or surrounds; the totality of surrounding things; surroundings; environment. Obs. (exc. nonce-use as in 1832).
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter cxl[i]. 3. Set lord … dure of circumstaunce [ostium circumstantiæ] til my lippis [so 1382 Wyclif].
c. 1400. Test. Love, I. (1560), 277/2. Had I been blind, with myne handes all the circumstaunce I myght well have feeled.
1562. Leigh, Armorie (1597), A vj. The description of the Viniet with the circumstance thereof.
1832. Tennyson, Palace Art, lxiv. A star that with the choral starry dance Join’d not, but stood, and standing saw The hollow orb of moving Circumstance Roll’d round by one fix’d law.
† b. Circumference. Obs.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., xii. 5. In his hand a ball of right great cyrcumstaunce.
† c. spec. The surrounding sense or context of a passage. Obs.
1549. Latimer, 6th Serm. bef. Edw. VI. (Arb.), 167. It is the circumstaunce, and collacion of places that make scripture playne.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 168/1. The circumstance of the place, sheweth that Iesus Christ is … called Mediatour in respect hereof.
2. pl. The logical surroundings or ‘adjuncts’ of an action; the time, place, manner, cause, occasion, etc., amid which it takes place; in sing. any one of these conditioning adjuncts.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 316. Abuten sunne [= sin] liggeð six þinges þet hit helieð: o Latin circumstances: on Englisch, heo muwen beon ihoten totagges: persone, stude, time, manere, tale, cause.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 27158. Þe circumstances Þat mesurs oft-sithes vr penances … Qua, quate, qui, quare, quam wit, quen.
1530. Palsgr., 141. The tyme, place, maner or some other cyrcumstaunce belongyng to the same.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., IV. ii. 109. Neither in time, matter, or other circumstance.
1754. Edwards, Freed. Will, II. § 8. 76. Unless the different Time be a Circumstance which has Influence.
b. in Grammar. An adverbial adjunct.
1824. L. Murray, Eng. Gram., I. App. 448. It is a rule … never to crowd many circumstances together, but rather to intersperse them in different parts of the sentence.
3. ‘The adjuncts of a fact which make it more or less criminal; or make an accusation more or less probable.’ (J.) Cf. circumstantial evidence.
1580. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 436. I knowe not by experience, and yet I beleeue by circumstance.
1581. Lambarde, Eiren., IV. v. (1588), 502. The circumstances of an acte doe either aggrauate or diminish the offence therein.
1593. Drayton, Idea, 291. In ev’ry thing I hold this Maxim still, The Circumstance doth make it good, or ill.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., I. ii. 77. Vouchsafe … Of these supposed crimes, to giue me leaue By circumstance, but to acquit my selfe.
1612. Webster, White Devil, III. ii. We have nought but circumstances To charge her with, about her husband’s death.
1682. Southerne, Loyal Brother, II. i. 19. Had I a circumstance, a shew of truth, I wou’d not only drive the Sorceress hence, But sink her lover in the shades for ever.
1747. Col. Rec. Penn., V. 87. There are great Complaints against two of our Traders … che circumstances are very strong.
4. The ‘condition or state of affairs’ (J.) surrounding and affecting an agent; esp. the external conditions prevailing at the time. (Now usually pl.)
Mere situation is expressed by ‘in the circumstances,’ action affected is performed ‘under the circumstances.’
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 392. Iche counseile of Crist is comaundement for sumtyme and summe circumstaunsis.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 164. All … thynges perteynynge therto as circumstaunces required.
1665. South, Serm. John i. 11. Every Hypocrite … under the same Circumstances would have infallibly treated Him with the same Barbarity.
1711. Shaftesb., Charac., IV. § 3 (1737), I. 147. The past Actions and Circumstances of Mankind.
1745. W. Harris, in Private Lett. 1st Ld. Malmesbury, I. 19. A … march attended with the severest circumstances of weather and roads.
1768. Sterne, Sent. Journ., II. Versailles. I am governed by circumstances … I cannot govern them.
1769. Junius, Lett., ix. 39. Your administration has driven us into circumstances of equal distress.
1826. Disraeli, Viv. Grey, VI. vii. 369. Man is not the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creatures of men.
1856. Froude, Hist. Eng. (1858), I. ii. 140. Who found himself in circumstances to which he was unequal.
1862. Ruskin, Munera Pulv. (1880), 17. The desire to obtain the money will, under certain circumstances, stimulate industry.
1866. Miss Broughton, Cometh up as Flower, i. 1. As comfortable as circumstances will permit.
1875. Jevons, Money, 13. By custom or the force of circumstances.
b. without a or pl.: now poet. or rhet.
1602. Shaks., Ham., I. iii. 102. You speake like a greene Girle, Vnsifted in such perillous Circumstance.
1713. Steele, Englishman, No. 49. 314. Under this Circumstance, I, among many others, have lately been converted to the Roman-Catholick Faith.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., II. 91. Who does the best his circumstance allows, Does well.
1821. Byron, Sardan., III. i. All are the sons of circumstance.
1887. Rider Haggard, She, xviii. Nor can he count the airy threads that weave the web of circumstance.
5. esp. Condition or state as to material welfare, means. Now always pl. In easy, good, reduced, straitened, circumstances, etc.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Praise of Wealth, Wks. 1730, I. 85. Despicable in circumstance.
1716. Addison, Freeholder, No. 42. When men are easy in their circumstances, they are naturally enemies to innovations.
1794. Godwin, Cal. Williams, 292. His circumstances were narrow.
1844. Ld. Brougham, A. Lunel, I. xxxviii. Born of noble family … reduced in its circumstances.
1872. E. Peacock, Mabel Heron, I. i. 7. I am afraid he is in very bad circumstances still.
1879. Froude, Cæsar, v. 41. A country gentleman in good circumstances.
II. Words or work made about anything.
6. Circumstantiality of detail; detailed and hence (formerly) circuitous narration; circumlocution, beating about the bush, indirectness. arch.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas. (1845), 59. Poetes … tell theyr tale with al due circumstance.
1580. Baret, Alv., C 543. To use great circumstance of woordes, to goe about the bushe, circuitione vti.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., I. i. 154. You … herein spend but time To winde about my loue with circumstance.
1611. Tourneur, Ath. Trag., I. iv. Time cuts off circumstance; I must be briefe.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, III. 362. Such tale Minutely told with accurate circumstance.
1851. Helps, Friends in C., I. 33. Has not each case its specialities, requiring to be argued with much circumstance.
with pl. 1597. Bacon, Ess. Discourse (Arb.), 22. To vse too many circumstances ere one come to the matter.
7. The ‘ado’ made about anything; formality, ceremony, about any important event or action. Without († out of), circumstance: without ado or ceremony, unceremonious(ly, abrupt(ly. arch.
Chiefly preserved by Shakespeare’s ‘pomp and circumstance.’
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1405. His sacrifice he dide … fful pitously with alle circumstance.
1541. Act 33 Hen. VIII., c. 12 § 8. The solemne and dew circumstaunce of the execucion.
1604. Shaks., Oth., III. iii. 354. Pride, Pompe and Circumstance of glorious warre. Ibid. (1611), Wint. T., V. i. 90. His approach (So out of circumstance, and suddaine) tells vs, ’Tis not a Visitation fram’d, but forc’d.
1609–38. Heywood, Rape Lucr., Wks. 1874, V. 209. Shall we to horse without circumstance?
1805. Southey, Madoc in Azt., ii. Solemnity and circumstance and pomp of hellish piety.
1819. S. Rogers, Human Life, 801. Busy and full of life and circumstance.
1855. Prescott, Philip II., II. iii. 231. It was done with great circumstance.
1872. Black, Adv. Phaeton, II. xx. 97. All the pomp and circumstance of a tournament.
with pl. 1615. Stow, Chron., Q. Eliz., an. 1586. Skinke … without any circumstances condemned him to be thrown … into the Reine.
† b. Importance, moment (of any matter). Obs.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretary, II. (1625), 102. Matter of more circumstance then by every one is considered.
1613. Beaum. & Fl., Coxcombe, V. i. It seems here your businesse is of deeper circumstance Then I conceived it for.
1676. Owen, Worsh. God, 53. What is of circumstance in the manner of its performance?
III. That which is non-essential, accessary or subordinate; a detail, a particular.
8. That which is not of the essence or substance: philosophically, the phenomenal part, the sum of the accidents or attributes; sometimes (with pl.) an attribute; popularly what is adventitious or casual. Obs. or arch.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., V. ii. 39. He that loues himselfe, Hath not essentially, but by circumstance The name of Valour.
1599. Davies, Nosce Teipsum, II. lxiv. Sense outsides knowes, the Soule through all things sees, Sense Circumstance, she doth the substance view.
1685. Gracian’s Courtier’s Orac., ii. The substance is not enough, unless it be cloathed with its circumstances.
1702. Eng. Theophrast., 378. In all things the circumstance is as necessary as the substance, nay, and more.
1875. Sears, Serm. & Songs, 308. When … this outward circumstance of clay [has] passed away from us for ever.
9. Subordinate matters or details: strictly matters ‘appendant or relative to a fact’ (J.), viewed as extraneous to its essence, but passing into the sense of ‘Subordinate parts of the fact, details.’
† a. without a or pl. Obs.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 180. The mater of her tale tolde With all the hole circumstaunce.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 416. His drem al hail he haith disclossit; The houre, the nyght, and al the cercumstans.
1602. Shaks., Ham., V. ii. 2. You doe remember all the Circumstance.
1671. Milton, Samson, 1557. Tell us the sum, the circumstance defer.
1722. De Foe, Plague (1756), 260. The Danger of Death not left out of the Circumstance of Sickness.
b. A circumstance, (with pl.): An accessory matter, a matter appertaining, relative or subordinate; a particular, a detail.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 12425. Clerkys kalle hem [smale synnes] ‘cyrcumstaunces,’ To þe grete synne are þey puruyaunces.
1414. Brampton, Penit. Ps., lvi. 22. No prevy sore, Ne circumstaunce that longyth ther tylle.
1586. Thynne, in Animadv., Introd. 71. The etymon of the name, and other circumstances belonging thereto.
1594. Plat, Jewell Ho., III. Chem. Conclus., 12. If there be any that [can] say more in the circumstances of butter, I hope their dairies be greater than mine.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., III. 170. Many ticklish Curiosities, and nice Circumstances there are to perform this Experiment exactly.
1672. W. Allen, Peace & Unity, 8. Undetermined circumstances of Order or Worship.
1725. Swift, Drapier’s Lett., iv. The sentence of death with all the circumstances of hanging, beheading, quartering, embowelling and the like.
† c. A material adjunct, appendage, appurtenance, matter or thing belonging. Obs.
1587. Holinshed, Chron., III. 1409/2. The powder and pellets in a box … the coverlet, with the rest of the circumstances therevnto apperteining.
1685. Evelyn, Diary, 15 July. He [Monmouth on the scaffold] would not make use of a cap or other circumstance.
1765. Cowper, Lett., 24 June. The river Ouse is the most agreeable circumstance in this part of the world.
1792. A. Young, Trav. France, 113. The most interesting circumstance of their farms is the chicory.
10. An event viewed as a detail of some narrative, or history, or of the general course of events; an incident, an occurrence; a matter or fact (properly of a secondary or subordinate kind).
In this use ‘circumstance’ tends to be entirely emptied of its etymological meaning, and to become merely a vaguer expression for ‘fact,’ ‘event.’ It is frequently so used in apposition to a substantive clause, as in quot. 1850.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretary, II. (1625), 13. They being together … argueth the circumstance of his going to N. to be but a meere disguising.
1678. Butler, Hud., III. I. 491. If but one word be true … Or but one single Circumstance in all th’ Apocryphal Romance.
1705. Addison, Italy, Florence, 413. The Conqueror’s weeping for new Worlds, or some other the like Circumstance of his History.
1802. Mar. Edgeworth, Moral T. (1816), I. xviii. 147. Every circumstance … likely to happen.
1807. Hutton, Course Math., II. 365. This circumstance therefore agrees nearly with the theory.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, xlix. An appeal to arms … rendered necessary by any unforeseen circumstance.
1850. McCosh, Div. Govt., III. ii. (1874), 365. The circumstance has often been … dwelt on by divines, that Ungodliness is the universal sin of humanity.
