Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CIR-CUM'FER-ENCE, n. [L. circumferentia, from circum, round, and fero, to carry.]

1. The line that bounds a circle; the exterior line of a circular body; the whole exterior surface of a round body; a periphery. – Newton. Milton.
2. The space included in a circle. – Milton. Dryden.
3. An orb; a circle; any thing circular or orbicular; as in Milton, speaking of a shield, The broad circumference / Hung on his shoulders like the moon.