Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: orbita 'wheel-track', probably from orbis; ORB


2 noun
Related topics: Astronomy
orbit2 [countable]
1 the curved path travelled by an object which is moving around another much larger object such as the Earth, the sun etc
orbit around
the Moon's orbit around the Earth
in/into orbit
The Space Shuttle is now in orbit.
The telecommunications satellite went into orbit at the end of last year.
2 formal the area of power and influence of a person, organization etc
within the orbit of something
countries within the orbit of the British commonwealth

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