orb
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: architecture
astrology
government
human-sciences
military
mysticism
philosophy
politics
sciences
war
Etymology: From Middle English orbe, from Old French orbe, from Latin orbis (“circle, orb”). Compare orbit.
Inflected forms:
form: orbs
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: orbs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: orbing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: orbed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: orbed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A spherical body; a sphere, especially one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: In the small orb of one particular tear.
Whether the prime orb, Incredible how swift, had thither rolled.
gloss: Celestial sphere; one of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the ancients to be enclosed one within another, and to carry the heavenly bodies in their revolutions
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A structural motif or finial in the shape of a sphere
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: An orbit of an heavenly body
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: The schoolmen were like astronomers, which did feign eccentrics, and epicycles, and such engines of orbs.
You seem to me as Dian in her orb.
In orbs / Of circuit inexpressible they stood, / Orb within orb.
gloss: The time period of an orbit
pos: noun
tags: countable
rare
uncountable
examples: Know none before us, self-begot, self-rais'd / By our own quick'ning power, when fatal course / Had circl'd his full Orbe, the birth mature / Of this our native Heav'n, Ethereal Sons.
gloss: The eye, seen as a luminous and spherical entity
pos: noun
tags: countable
poetic
uncountable
examples: A drop serene hath quenched their orbs.
Painfully, he forced his hot eyelids to unclose, and his distended orbs sought for some object whereon to fix; they met the patch of grass, yet red with the blood of Walter Maynard.
gloss: Any revolving circular body, such as a wheel
pos: noun
tags: countable
poetic
uncountable
examples: The orbs Of his fierce chariot rolled.
gloss: A sphere of action.
pos: noun
tags: countable
rare
uncountable
examples: By what fatality the orb of my genius […] acts upon these men like the moon upon a certain description of patients, it would be irksome to inquire
But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe.
gloss: A globus cruciger; a ceremonial sphere used to represent royal or imperial power
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A translucent sphere appearing in flash photography (Orb (optics))
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for defence, especially infantry to repel cavalry.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Amount of deviation from the closest perfect aspect.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: For example, an approaching transitioning aspect (i.e., for 120 degrees) is effective when it remains within 2 degrees of orb on either side of the perfect angle.
Astrologers' opinions vary on how many degrees of orb to allow for each aspect.
For example Mars has its orb 7 degrees to the Sun.
gloss: To form into an orb or circle.
pos: verb
tags: poetic
transitive
examples: Let each
His adamantine coat gird well, and each
Fit well his helm, gripe fast his orbed shield
a full-orbed sun
And is it that the haze of grief
⁠Hath stretch’d my former joy so great? […]
Or that the past will always win
⁠A glory from its being far;
⁠And orb into the perfect star
We saw not, when we moved therein?
gloss: To become round like an orb.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
poetic
gloss: To encircle; to surround; to enclose.
pos: verb
tags: poetic
transitive
examples: The wheels were orbed with gold.
Synonyms: globe
Derived words: disorb
golden silk orb-weaver
inorb
orbic
orbical
orbless
orblet
orblike
orb spider
orb-web spider
orby
red-legged golden orb-weaver spider
sea orb
semi-orb
semiorb
Translations: