noun
1.
a sphere or globe: a Christmas tree hung with brightly colored orbs.
2.
the eyeball or eye: He looks with blind orbs on an indifferent world.
3.
any of the heavenly bodies, as the sun or moon: He lay on the grass, warmed by that orb of day, the sun.
4.
a globe bearing a cross; the mound or emblem of sovereignty, especially as part of the regalia of England.
5.
Astrology. the number of degrees from exactness within which an aspect operates.
verb (used with object)
9.
to form into a circle or sphere.
10.
Archaic. to encircle; enclose.
00:10
Orb
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
verb (used without object)
11.
to move in an orbit.
12.
to form into an orb or globe; round out.
Origin:
1520–30; < Latin orbis circle, disk, orb
1520–30; < Latin orbis circle, disk, orb
Related forms
orb·less, adjective
orb·like, adjective
un·orbed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To ORB
Collins
World English Dictionary
orb (ɔːb) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (in royal regalia) an ornamental sphere surmounted by a cross, representing the power of a sovereign |
| 2. | a sphere; globe |
| 3. | poetic another word for eye |
| 4. | obsolete, poetic or |
| a. a celestial body, esp the earth or sun | |
| b. the orbit of a celestial body | |
| 5. | an archaic word for circle |
| —vb | |
| 6. | to make or become circular or spherical |
| 7. | (tr) an archaic word for encircle |
| [C16: from Latin orbis circle, disc] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
orb
c.1420 (implied in orbicular), "sphere, globe," also "emblem of sovereignty," from O.Fr. orbe (13c.), from L. orbem (nom. orbis) "circle, disk, ring," probably related to orbita "wheel track, rut," of unknown origin. Some suggest a connection with the root of orchid (q.v.). A three-dimensional extension
of a word originally describing two-dimensional shapes. Astronomical sense is from 1526, in ref. to the hollow spheres that carried the planets and stars in the Ptolemaic system. Orb weaver spider is first recorded 1889.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
orb
emblem of royal power, usually made of precious metal and jewels and consisting of a sphere surmounted by a cross. The ball as a symbol of the cosmos, or of the universe as a harmonious whole, is derived from the ancient Romans, who associated it with Jupiter and, hence, with the emperor as his earthly representative.
Learn more about orb with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
About midnight the fading sun is a red orb banging at the horizon.
The great voyages of discovery shrank our planet from a fearsome void to a familiar orb.
Each microscopic orb can only attach to molecules from one particular type of organism.
The company's orb of a display stand featured a circular track.
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