Emily Dickinson Lexicon

circuit, n. [Fr. < L. circuitus, going around; see circle and circumference.] (webplay: course, earth, round, traveling).

1. Habitual rounds; path of duty; systematic course of responsibilities.
2. Lifetime; time on earth; circle of influence; round of experiences; limited sphere of action; journey from life to death.
3. Zone; area; confinement; restriction; geometric limit; earthly boundary; [fig.] strict measure; difficult circumstance; round of rigorous experiences that one usually might wish to avoid.
4. Cycle of nature; [fig.] garden; paradise; Eden.
5. Circumlocution; paraphrase; a compass of words; the rhetorical figure of periphrasis; a gradual line-upon-line explanation; softening the force of a direct expression; a longer course of proceedings than usual; a roundabout mode of speech, expression, or reason; avoiding the use of a single term out of delicacy or respect; the use of a number of words to express an idea when a suitable term is not at hand; [fig.] a succession of verses; a cycle of poems; an indirect style of expression in poetry.
6. Journey; path; route; course; traveling around; [note] ED wrote P 1448/1523 on the back of a circular, e.g. a bill or advertising flier.
7. Heaven; quest for paradise; divine sphere of action; spiritual journey on earth among the stars, suns, and planets of the universe.
8. Perimeter; periphery; border; boundary; margin; circular enclosure; curved space as opposed to straight, direct, square, or linear space.