▪ I. ˈcirculating, vbl. n.
[f. as prec. + -ing1.]
The action of the verb circulate. (See next b.)
| 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Man. H h 7 The maner that nature vseth in circulatyng of the attracted blud. |
▪ II. circulating, ppl. a.
(ˈsɜːkjʊleɪtɪŋ)
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
That circulates, in various senses.
| 1632 Lithgow Trav. 414 A commodious place lying in the midst of circulating Prouinces. 1649 Milton Eikon. 188 The old circulating dance of his shifts and evasions. 1665 Phil. Trans. I. 76 The circulating blood. 1819 Byron Juan i. 190 One of the most circulating scandals That had for centuries been known. 1841–71 T. R. Jones Anim. King. (ed. 4) 433 The circulating fluid..was brought to the roots of the branchiæ. |
b. Special combs. (in some of these the ppl. a. is not clearly distinguished from the vbl. n.): circulating capital (see capital n.2 3 c). circulating cistern, a cistern used in connexion with the circulation of hot water through a system of pipes. circulating decimal: a decimal fraction in which two or more figures are repeated ad infinitum. circulating library: a library of which the books are circulated among subscribers. circulating medium: a medium of exchange, whether gold, silver, or any other article. circulating pump (see quot.). circulating system: see circulatory a. 1.
| 1742 (Advt.) June 12 Proposals for erecting a Public Circulating Library in London..Librarian, Samuel Fancourt. 1768 Robertson (title) Circulating Decimals in Phil. Trans. LVIII, It is usual to mark the first and last of circulating expressions, with points over the figures. 1775 Sheridan Rivals ii. ii, A circulating library..is an ever⁓green tree of diabolical knowledge! 1783 Gentl. Mag. 941 Heard that the first circulating library was opened by the Rev. Mr. Fancourt..50 or 60 years ago..it was afterwards removed to Crane-court, Fleet-street. 1776 Adam Smith W.N. I. ii. i. 280 No fixed capital can yield any revenue but by means of a circulating capital. 1798 Malthus Popul. (1817) II. 330 The increase of the circulating medium. 1801 Duncan's Annals Med. VI. 177 The Vascular and Circulating system. 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) xvii. i. 120 The circulating library, where nothing circulates—but the catalogue! 1809 R. Langford Introd. Trade 131 Circulating medium, cash and notes payable on demand. 1838 Penny Cycl. X. 402/1 When a decimal fraction cannot be found exactly equal to a given common fraction, the division by which the numerator is found, leads to what is called a Circulating Decimal. 1848 Mill Pol. Econ. i. ix. (1876) 83 By the adoption of machinery a circulating capital..has been converted into a fixed capital. 1862 Ruskin Munera P. (1880) 63 The nation..has little occasion for circulating media. 1864 Times 9 Sept. (L.), Monarchy, republic, empire..over and over again like a circulating decimal. 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. s.v. Circulating-pump, the cold-water pump by which condensation water is drawn from the sea, river, or well, and driven through the casing of a surface condenser. 1884 Health. Exhib. Catal. 94/1 Hot Water Circulating Cistern. |