orbit

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: or=bit

CIDE DICTIONARY

orbit, n. [L. orbita a track or rut made by a wheel, course, circuit, fr. orbis a circle: cf. F. orbite. See 2d Orb.].

•  The path described by a heavenly body in its periodical revolution around another body; as, the orbit of Jupiter, of the earth, of the moon.  [1913 Webster]
•  An orb or ball.  [1913 Webster]

  "Roll the lucid orbit of an eye."  [1913 Webster]
•  The cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated.  [1913 Webster]
•  The skin which surrounds the eye of a bird.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

orbit, n. & v.
--n.
1 a the curved, usu. closed course of a planet, satellite, etc. b (prec. by in, into, out of, etc.) the state of motion in an orbit. c one complete passage around an orbited body.
2 the path of an electron round an atomic nucleus.
3 a range or sphere of action.
4 a the eye socket. b the area around the eye of a bird or insect.
--v. (orbited, orbiting)
1 intr. a (of a satellite etc.) go round in orbit. b fly in a circle.
2 tr. move in orbit round.
3 tr. put into orbit.

Derivative

orbiter n.

Etymology

L orbita course, track (in med.L eye-cavity): fem. of orbitus circular f. orbis ring

THESAURUS

orbit

Earth insertion, LEM, LM, O, air lane, ambit, annular muscle, annulus, aphelion, apogee, area, arena, areola, astronomical longitude, attitude-control rocket, aureole, autumnal equinox, bailiwick, ball, ballistic capsule, balloon, beat, bladder, blob, boll, bolus, border, borderland, bubble, bulb, bulbil, bulblet, burn, capsule, celestial equator, celestial longitude, celestial meridian, chaplet, circle, circling, circuit, circuiteer, circuition, circuitousness, circuitry, circularity, circulate, circulation, circumambience, circumambiency, circumambulate, circumambulation, circumference, circumflexion, circumlocution, circummigrate, circummigration, circumnavigate, circumnavigation, circumvent, circus, close the circle, closed circle, colures, come full circle, compass, constituency, corona, coronet, course, crown, cycle, deep-space ship, demesne, department, describe a circle, deviance, deviancy, deviation, deviousness, diadem, digression, discipline, discus, disk, docking, docking maneuver, domain, dominion, ecliptic, ellipsoid, encircle, encompass, equator, equinoctial, equinoctial circle, equinoctial colure, equinox, eternal return, excursion, excursus, extension, extent, fairy ring, ferry rocket, field, flank, flight path, footing, fuel ship, full circle, galactic longitude, garland, geocentric longitude, geodetic longitude, geoid, girdle, girdle the globe, globe, globelet, globoid, globule, glomerulus, glory, go about, go around, go round, go the round, gob, gobbet, great circle, gyre, gyring, halo, heliocentric longitude, hemisphere, indirection, injection, insertion, itinerary, judicial circuit, jurisdiction, knob, knot, lap, lasso, line, logical circle, longitude, loop, looplet, lunar excursion module, lunar module, magic circle, make a circuit, manned rocket, march, meandering, meridian, module, moon ship, multistage rocket, noose, oblate spheroid, orb, orbiting, orblet, pale, parking orbit, path, pellet, perigee, perihelion, period, precinct, primrose path, prolate spheroid, province, purview, radius, reach, realm, reentry, revolution, revolve, ring, road, rocket, rondelle, rondure, round, round trip, roundaboutness, roundel, rounding, rounds, route, run, saucer, scope, sea lane, shortcut, shuttle rocket, skirt, small circle, soft landing, solstitial colure, space capsule, space docking, space rocket, spacecraft, spaceship, sphere, sphere of influence, spheroid, spherule, sphincter, spiral, spiraling, stamping ground, subdiscipline, surround, sweep, territory, tour, track, trade route, traject, trajectory, trajet, turf, turn, turning, vantage, vernal equinox, vicious circle, walk, wheel, wheeling, wreath, zodiac, zone

ROGET THESAURUS

orbit

Method

N method, way, manner, wise, gait, form, mode, fashion, tone, guise, modus operandi, MO, procedure, path, road, route, course, line of way, line of road, trajectory, orbit, track, beat, tack, steps, stair, staircase, flight of stairs, ladder, stile, perron, bridge, footbridge, viaduct, pontoon, steppingstone, plank, gangway, drawbridge, pass, ford, ferry, tunnel, pipe, door, gateway, channel, passage, avenue, means of access, approach, adit, artery, lane, loan, alley, aisle, lobby, corridor, back-door, back-stairs, secret passage, covert way, vennel, roadway, pathway, stairway, express, thoroughfare, highway, turnpike, freeway, royal road, coach road, broad highway, King's highway, Queen's highway, beaten track, beaten path, horse road, bridle road, bridle track, bridle path, walk, trottoir, footpath, pavement, flags, sidewalk, crossroad, byroad, bypath, byway, cut, short cut carrefour, private road, occupation road, highways and byways, railroad, railway, tram road, tramway, towpath, causeway, canal, street, speedway, adv, how, in what way, in what manner, by what mode, so, in this way, after this fashion, one way or another, anyhow, somehow or other, by way of, via, in transitu, on the high road to, hae tibi erunt artes.

Height

VB be high, tower, soar, command, hover, hover over, fly over, orbit, be in orbit, cap, culminate, overhang, hang over, impend, beetle, bestride, ride, mount, perch, surmount, cover, overtop, stand on tiptoe, become high, grow higher, grow taller, upgrow, rise, send into orbit, render high, heighten.

Circularity

N circularity, roundness, rotundity, circle, circlet, ring, areola, hoop, roundlet, annulus, annulet, bracelet, armlet, ringlet, eye, loop, wheel, cycle, orb, orbit, rundle, zone, belt, cordon, band, contrate wheel, crown wheel, hub, nave, sash, girdle, cestus, cincture, baldric, fillet, fascia, wreath, garland, crown, corona, coronet, chaplet, snood, necklace, collar, noose, lasso, lassoo, ellipse, oval, ovule, ellipsoid, cycloid, epicycloid, epicycle, semicircle, quadrant, sextant, sector, sphere, round, rounded, circular, annular, orbicular, oval, ovate, elliptic, elliptical, egg-shaped, pear-shaped, cycloidal, spherical, I watched the little circles die.

Navigation

VB sail, put to sea, take ship, get under way, set sail, spread sail, spread canvas, gather way, have way on, make sail, carry sail, plow the waves, plow the deep, plow the main, plow the ocean, walk the waters, navigate, warp, luff, scud, boom, kedge, drift, course, cruise, coast, hug the shore, hug the land, circumnavigate, ply the oar, row, paddle, pull, scull, punt, steam, swim, float, buffet the waves, ride the storm, skim, effleurer, dive, wade, fly, be wafted, hover, soar, flutter, jet, orbit, rocket, take wing, take a flight, take off, ascend, blast off, land, alight, wing one's flight, wing one's way, aviate, parachute, jump, glide.

World

N world, creation, nature, universe, earth, globe, wide world, cosmos, kosmos, terraqueous globe, sphere, macrocosm, megacosm, music of the spheres, heavens, sky, welkin, empyrean, starry cope, starry heaven, starry host, firmament, Midgard, supersensible regions, varuna, vault of heaven, canopy of heaven, celestial spaces, heavenly bodies, stars, asteroids, nebulae, galaxy, milky way, galactic circle, via lactea, ame no kawa, sun, orb of day, Apollo, Phoebus, photosphere, chromosphere, solar system, planet, planetoid, comet, satellite, moon, orb of night, Diana, silver-footed queen, aerolite, meteor, planetary ring, falling star, shooting star, meteorite, uranolite, constellation, zodiac, signs of the zodiac, Charles's wain, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Great Bear, Southern Cross, Orion's belt, Cassiopea's chair, Pleiades, colures, equator, ecliptic, orbit, astronomy, uranography, uranology, cosmology, cosmography, cosmogony, eidouranion, orrery, geodesy, star gazing, star gazer, astronomer, observatory, planetarium, cosmic, cosmical, mundane, terrestrial, terrestrious, terraqueous, terrene, terreous, telluric, earthly, geotic, under the sun, sublunary, subastral, solar, heliacal, lunar, celestial, heavenly, sphery, starry, stellar, sidereal, sideral, astral, nebular, uranic, in all creation, on the face of the globe, here below, under the sun, die Weltgeschichte ist das Weltergesicht, earth is but the frozen echo of the silent voice o, green calm below, blue quietness above, hanging in a golden chain this pendant World, nothing in nature is unbeautiful, silently as a dream the fabric rose, some touch of nature's genial glow, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, through knowledge we behold the World's creation.

Interment

N interment, burial, sepulture, inhumation, obsequies, exequies, funeral, wake, pyre, funeral pile, cremation, funeral, funeral rite, funeral solemnity, kneel, passing bell, tolling, dirge, cypress, orbit, dead march, muffled drum, mortuary, undertaker, mute, elegy, funeral, funeral oration, funeral sermon, epitaph, graveclothes, shroud, winding sheet, cerecloth, cerement, coffin, shell, sarcophagus, urn, pall, bier, hearse, catafalque, cinerary urn, grave, pit, sepulcher, tomb, vault, crypt, catacomb, mausoleum, Golgotha, house of death, narrow house, cemetery, necropolis, burial place, burial ground, grave yard, church yard, God's acre, tope, cromlech, barrow, tumulus, cairn, ossuary, bone house, charnel house, dead house, morgue, lich gate, burning ghat, crematorium, crematory, dokhma, mastaba, potter's field, stupa, Tower of Silence, sexton, gravedigger, monument, cenotaph, shrine, grave stone, head stone, tomb stone, memento mori, hatchment, stone, obelisk, pyramid, exhumation, disinterment, necropsy, autopsy, post mortem examination, zoothapsis, burried, burial, funereal, funebrial, mortuary, sepulchral, cinerary, elegiac, necroscopic, in memoriam, post obit, post mortem, beneath the sod, hic jacet, ci-git, RIP, requiescat in pace, the lone couch of his everlasting sleep, without a grave- unknell'd, uncoffin'd, and unknown, in the dark union of insensate dust, the deep cold shadow of the tomb, Special Vitality.