DCHP-1 Online
circle 
1 n. Hist. in colonial Canada, an electoral district; riding; constituency.
- 1790 [Act of Parliament] [The Governor or Lieutenant-Governor of each of the provinces is authorized] to issue a Proclamation dividing such Province into Districts, or Counties, or Circles, and Towns or Townships, and appointing the Limits thereof, and declaring and appointing the Number of Representatives to be chosen by each of such Districts, or Counties or Circles, and Towns or Townships, respectively. . . .
- 1805 Mr. Weeks avails himself of this public manner of soliciting the support of the FREE and INDEPENDENT Electors . . . to represent the inhabitants of this Circle in Parliament.
- 1828 Nothing [is] herein contained to prevent the courts of the King's bench from proceeding to the trial before juries of the circles.
- 1902 These districts were sub-divided into counties, or "circles," though the latter title appears to have been used only in some official documents
2 n. North, Informal the Arctic Circle.
- 1920 We saw no stars from early June until leaving the "circle" again August 7th.
- 1790 [Act of Parliament] [The Governor or Lieutenant-Governor of each of the provinces is authorized] to issue a Proclamation dividing such Province into Districts, or Counties, or Circles, and Towns or Townships, and appointing the Limits thereof, and declaring and appointing the Number of Representatives to be chosen by each of such Districts, or Counties or Circles, and Towns or Townships, respectively. . . .