Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Orbit
Or′bit
,Noun.
[L.
orbita
a track or rut made by a wheel, course, circuit, fr. orbis
a circle: cf. F. orbite
. See 2d Orb
.] 1.
(Astron.)
The path described by a heavenly body in its periodical revolution around another body;
as, the
. orbit
of Jupiter, of the earth, of the moon2.
An orb or ball.
[Rare & Improper]
Roll the lucid
orbit
of an eye. Young.
3.
(Anat.)
The cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated.
4.
(Zool.)
The skin which surrounds the eye of a bird.
Webster 1828 Edition
Orbit
ORB'IT
,Noun.
1.
In astronomy, the path of a planet or comet; the curve line which a planet describes in its periodical revolution round its central body; as the orbit of Jupiter or Mercury. The orbit of the earth is nearly one hundred and ninety millions of miles in diameter. The orbit of the moon is 480,000 miles in diameter. The orbits of the planets are elliptical.2.
A small orb. [Not proper.]3.
In anatomy, the cavity in which the eye is situated.Definition 2024
Orbit
Orbit
orbit
orbit
See also: Orbit
English
Diagram of a planet's orbit, illustrating Kepler's second law.
Noun
orbit (plural orbits)
- A circular or elliptical path of one object around another object.
- The Moon's orbit around the Earth takes nearly one month to complete.
- A sphere of influence; an area of control.
- In the post WWII era, several eastern European countries came into the orbit of the Soviet Union.
- The course of one's usual progression, or the extent of one's typical range.
- The convenience store was a heavily travelled point in her daily orbit, as she purchased both cigarettes and lottery tickets there.
- (anatomy) The bony cavity containing the eyeball; the eye socket.
- (physics) A mathematical function that describes the wave-like behavior of an electron in an atom; area of the highest probability of electron´s occurrence around the atom's nucleus.
- (mathematics) A collection of points related by the evolution function of a dynamical system.
- (geometry, group theory) The subset of elements of a set X to which a given element can be moved by members of a specified group of transformations that act on X.
Hyponyms
- bound orbit
- halo orbit
- unbound orbit
Derived terms
Terms derived from orbit
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Translations
path of one object around another
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course of usual progression
eye socket — see eye socket
wave-like function
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Verb
orbit (third-person singular simple present orbits, present participle orbiting, simple past and past participle orbited)
- To circle or revolve around another object.
- The Earth orbits the Sun.
- To move around the general vicinity of something.
- The harried mother had a cloud of children orbiting her, asking for sweets.
- To place an object into an orbit around a planet.
- A rocket was used to orbit the satellite.
Synonyms
- (move around the general vicinity of): circumambulate, tag along
- (place an object into an orbit): launch
Antonyms
Translations
circle another object
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move around the general vicinity of
place an object into an orbit
