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orb

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orb

  [awrb]
Use orb in a Sentence
–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, esp. as part of the regalia of England.
5. Astrology. the number of degrees from exactness within which an aspect operates.
6. a circle or something circular.
7. Astronomy. (formerly) the orbit of a heavenly body.
8. the earth.
–verb (used with object)
9. to form into a circle or sphere.
10. Archaic. to encircle; enclose.
–verb (used without object)
11. to move in an orbit.
12. to form into an orb or globe; round out.
Origin:
1520–30; < L orbis circle, disk, orb

Related forms:
orbless, adjective
orblike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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orb   (ôrb)   
n.  

  1. A sphere or spherical object.

    1. A celestial body, such as the sun or moon.

    2. Archaic The earth.

  3. One of a series of concentric transparent spheres thought by ancient and medieval astronomers to revolve about the earth and carry the celestial bodies.

  4. A globe surmounted by a cross, used as a symbol of monarchial power and justice.

  5. An eye or eyeball.

  6. Archaic Something of circular form; a circle or an orbit.

  7. Archaic A range of endeavor or activity; a province.

v.   orbed, orb·ing, orbs

v.   tr.

  1. To shape into a circle or sphere.

  2. Archaic To encircle; enclose.

v.   intr. Archaic
To move in an orbit.

[Middle English orbe, orbit, from Old French, from Latin orbis, circle, disk, orbit.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

ORB
Object Request Broker

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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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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