orbit: Meaning and Definition of
or•bit
Pronunciation: (ôr'bit), [key]
— n.
- the curved path, usually elliptical, described by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.
- the usual course of one's life or range of one's activities.
- the sphere of power or influence, as of a nation or person: a small nation in the Russian orbit.
- (in Bohr theory) the path traced by an electron revolving around the nucleus of an atom.
- an orb or sphere.
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- the bony cavity of the skull that contains the eye; eye socket.
- the eye.
- the part surrounding the eye of a bird or insect.
—v.t.
- to move or travel around in an orbital or elliptical path: The earth orbits the sun once every 365.25 days.
- to send into orbit, as a satellite.
—v.i.
- to go or travel in an orbit.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.