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orbiting

 [awr-bit]   Origin

or·bit

   [awr-bit]
noun
1.
the curved path, usually elliptical, described by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.
2.
the usual course of one's life or range of one's activities.
3.
the sphere of power or influence, as of a nation or person: a small nation in the Russian orbit.
4.
Physics. (in Bohr theory) the path traced by an electron revolving around the nucleus of an atom.
5.
an orb or sphere.
EXPAND
6.
Anatomy.
a.
the bony cavity of the skull that contains the eye; eye socket.
b.
the eye.
7.
Zoology. the part surrounding the eye of a bird or insect.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
8.
to move or travel around in an orbital or elliptical path: The earth orbits the sun once every 365.25 days.
9.
to send into orbit, as a satellite.

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Orbiting is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
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.
Cite This Source Link To orbiting
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  

  1. 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.

  2. One complete revolution of such a body. See Note at solar system.

  3. A stable quantum state of an electron (or other particle) in motion around an atomic nucleus. See more at orbital.

  4. Either of two bony hollows in the skull containing the eye and its associated structures.


Verb  

  1. To move in an orbit around another body.

  2. To put into an orbit, as a satellite is put into orbit around the Earth.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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