orbit Hear it!

orbit Definition

or·bit (ôr′bit)

noun

  1. the bony cavity containing the eye; eye socket

  2. Etymology: L orbita

    1. the actual or imaginary path taken by a celestial body during its periodic revolution around another body
    2. the path taken by an artificial satellite or spacecraft around a celestial body
  3. the range of one's experience or activity; ordinary course of life
  4. Zool. the skin around the eye of a bird

Etymology: MFr orbite < ML orbita < L, path, track < orbis, a circle, wheel

intransitive verb

to move in an orbit or circle

transitive verb

  1. to put (a satellite or spacecraft) into an orbit in space
  2. to move in an orbit around

orbit Related Forms
or′·bital adjective
orbit Synonyms

orbit

n.

  1. Path described by one body revolving around another

    revolution, ellipse, circle, ring, circuit, path, apogee, course, perigee, lap, round, cycle, curve, parabolic orbit, synchronous orbit, hold pattern, transfer orbit, flight path; see also revolution 1.

  2. Range of activity or influence

    sphere, arena, range, field, boundary, limit, circumference, compass, circle, bounds, department, domain, dominion, jurisdiction, precinct, province, realm; see also area 2.

orbit Synonyms

orbit

v.

  1. To revolve around another body

    circle, encircle, compass, encompass, ring, move in a circuit, go around, revolve; see also circle.

  2. To put into orbit

    fire, blast off, lift off, project; see launch 2.

orbit Usage Examples

Object

  • spacecraft: An attempt will be made to establish communications with the lander at about 5 am through an orbiting spacecraft called Mars Odyssey.
  • observatory: Orbiting space observatories are revealing exciting and interesting information of our universe that we would never be able to observe from the Earth.
  • satellite: Like the NSA's orbiting satellites, surveillance cameras are a colossal waste of money.
  • earth: The Moon orbits the spinning Earth that is itself in orbit round the Sun.

Converse of object

  • elongate: Comets are chunks of ice and dust that zoom around the solar system in elongated orbits.

Adjective modifier

  • elliptical: These density waves are twisted by the elliptical orbits into spiral arms.
  • geostationary: The system would then be deployed in low earth orbit prior to being towed to geostationary orbit.
  • homoclinic: We study the homoclinic orbits of the completely integrable discrete sine-Gordon.
  • geosynchronous: Geosynchronous orbits are ones where an artificial satellite in orbit around the Earth has a period of exactly one day.
  • periodic: In addition the mechanism of control for periodic orbits is now quite well understood [ 2 ] .
  • planetary: The semimajor axis of a planetary orbit is also the average distance from the planet to its primary.

Noun used with modifier

  • low-earth: Note that as it is in low-earth orbit the sighting details vary quite considerably across the UK.
  • comet: In Vienna, Professor Edmond Weiss was busy calculating probable close encounters between Earth and comet orbits.
  • earth: Of minor concern were changes in the background rate, due to the low Earth orbit.

Possessives

  • Pluto: The diameter of the disk is about the diameter of Pluto's orbit around the Sun.
  • comet: But it's intersting to note how little the comet's orbit will be changed by the impact.
  • earth: Will the comet " cross " the Earth's orbit?

Preposition: of

  • Pluto: Pioneer 10 became the first human artifact to leave the solar system in 1983 when it passed beyond the orbit of Pluto.
  • comet: From around 1695 Halley made a careful study of the orbits of comets.
  • planet: Binary stars Kepler's laws apply to the orbit of the planets round the Sun.
orbit Quotes

The most beautiful sight in orbit†is a urine dump at sunset, because as the stuff comes out and as it hits the exit nozzle it instantly flashes into ten million little ice crystals whichgo out almost ina hemisphere† It'sreally a spectacular sight.

—Schweikart, Russell

Browse dictionary entries near orbit

  1. ‹ orbicular
  2. ‹ orb
  3. ‹ oratory
  4. ‹ oratorio
  5. ‹ oratorically
  6. ‹ oratorical
  7. ‹ Oratorian
  8. ‹ orator
  9. ‹ oration
  10. ‹ orate
  1. orbital index ›
  2. orbited ›
  3. orbiter ›
  4. orbiting ›
  5. orc ›
  6. orca ›
  7. orcein ›
  8. orch ›
  9. orchard ›
  10. orchardist ›