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orbit

[awr-bit]

Origin

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noun

the curved path, usually elliptical, described by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.

the usual course of one's life or range of one's activities.

the sphere of power or influence, as of a nation or person: a small nation in the Russian orbit.

Physics. (in Bohr theory) the path traced by an electron revolving around the nucleus of an atom.

an orb or sphere.

EXPAND

Anatomy.

the bony cavity of the skull that contains the eye; eye socket.

the eye.

Zoology. the part surrounding the eye of a bird or insect.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

to move or travel around in an orbital or elliptical path: The earth orbits the sun once every 365.25 days.

to send into orbit, as a satellite.

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Orbit is always a great word to know.

So is joule. Does it mean:

a unit of energy, the work done by a force of one newton when its point of application moves through a distance of one meter in the direction of the force

a wave in which the direction of displacement is perpendicular to the direction of propagation, as a surface wave of water

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verb (used without object)

10.

to go or travel in an orbit.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin orbita wheel track, course, circuit

Related forms

or·bit·ar·y, adjective

non·or·bit·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Orbit

Collins

World English Dictionary

orbit (ˈɔːbɪt)

—n
1.	astronomy the curved path, usually elliptical, followed by a planet, satellite, comet, etc, in its motion around another celestial body under the influence of gravitation
2.	a range or field of action or influence; sphere: he is out of my orbit
3.	anatomy Nontechnical name: eye socket the bony cavity containing the eyeball
4.	zoology
	a. the skin surrounding the eye of a bird
	b. the hollow in which lies the eye or eyestalk of an insect or other arthropod
5.	physics the path of an electron in its motion around the nucleus of an atom

—vb
6.	to move around (a body) in a curved path, usually circular or elliptical
7.	(tr) to send (a satellite, spacecraft, etc) into orbit
8.	(intr) to move in or as if in an orbit

[C16: from Latin orbita course, from orbis circle, orb]

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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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

orbit

late 14c., "the eye socket," from M.L. orbita, transferred use of L. orbita "wheel track, course, orbit" (see orb). Astronomical sense first recorded 1690s in English; it was in classical L., revived in Gerard of Cremona's transl. of Avicenna. The verb is attested from 1946, from the noun.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

orbit or·bit (ôr'bĭt)
n.
See orbital cavity.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

orbit (ôr'bĭt) Pronunciation Key
Noun

The path followed by a celestial body or artificial satellite as it revolves around another body due to the force of gravity. Orbits are nearly elliptical or circular in shape and are very closely approximated by Kepler's laws of planetary motion.
One complete revolution of such a body. See Note at solar system.
A stable quantum state of an electron (or other particle) in motion around an atomic nucleus. See more at orbital.
Either of two bony hollows in the skull containing the eye and its associated structures.

Verb

To move in an orbit around another body.
To put into an orbit, as a satellite is put into orbit around the Earth.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

orbit definition

In astronomy, the path followed by an object revolving around another object, under the influence of gravitation (see satellite). In physics, the path followed by an electron within an atom. The planets follow elliptical orbits around the sun (see ellipse).

Note: Informally, something is “in orbit” when its actions are controlled by an external agency or force: “The countries of eastern Europe were once in the orbit of the Soviet Union.”

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

Orbit definition

A Scheme compiler.
["Orbit: An Optimising Compiler for Scheme", D.A. Kranz et al, SIGPLAN Notices 21(7):281-292 (Jul 1986)].
(1994-10-28)

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

orbit

see in orbit.

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