orb

See also: ORB and òrb

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɔɹb/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɔːb/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)b

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English orbe, from Old French orbe, from Latin orbis (“circle, orb”). Compare orbit.

Noun

orb (countable and uncountable, plural orbs)

1. A spherical body; a sphere, especially one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star
   • c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act LOVER'S COMPLAINT]:

     In the small orb of one particular tear.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Whether the prime orb, Incredible how swift, had thither rolled.

2. 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
3. (architecture) A structural motif or finial in the shape of a sphere
4. An orbit of an heavenly body
   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Superstition”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

     The schoolmen were like astronomers, which did feign eccentrics, and epicycles, and such engines of orbs.

   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     You seem to me as Dian in her orb.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     In orbs / Of circuit inexpressible they stood, / Orb within orb.

5. (rare) The time period of an orbit
   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book V:

     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.

6. (poetic) The eye, seen as a luminous and spherical entity
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     A drop serene hath quenched their orbs.

   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Assignation”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 260:

     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.

7. (poetic) Any revolving circular body, such as a wheel
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     The orbs Of his fierce chariot rolled.

8. (rare) A sphere of action.
   • 1815, William Wordsworth, Essay, Supplementary to the Preface:

     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

   • c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe.

9. A globus cruciger; a ceremonial sphere used to represent royal or imperial power
10. A translucent sphere appearing in flash photography (Orb (optics))
11. (military) A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for defence, especially infantry to repel cavalry.
12. (astrology, uncountable) Amount of deviation from the closest perfect aspect.
    • 2005, William Noah, Astrology of America, page 234:

      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.

    • 2012, Kris Brandt Riske, Llewellyn's 2013 Sun Sign Book: Horoscopes for Everyone, page 18:

      Astrologers' opinions vary on how many degrees of orb to allow for each aspect.

    • 2015, Padam Singh, Krishna Attri, Astrology For Stock Market

      For example Mars has its orb 7 degrees to the Sun.

Synonyms

• (spherical body): ball, globe, sphere
• (circle): circle, orbit
• (a period of time): See Thesaurus:year
• (an eye): See Thesaurus:eye
• (revolving circular body): roller, wheel
• (sphere of action): area, domain, field, province
• (monarch's ceremonial sphere): globe, globus cruciger, mound, orb
• (military formation): globe

Derived terms

• 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

spherical body

Bulgarian: сфера (bg) f (sfera), кълбо (bg) n (kǎlbo) Chinese: Mandarin: 球體 / 球体 (zh) (qiútǐ), 天体 (zh) (tiāntǐ) Czech: koule (cs) f, nebeské těleso (kulovité) Danish: kugle (da) c Dutch: bol (nl) m Esperanto: sfero Finnish: pallo (fi) French: orbe (fr) m German: Kugel (de) f, Gestirn (de) n Greek: σφαίρα (el) f (sfaíra) Hebrew: כַּדּוּר (he) m (kadúr), גֻּלָּה (he) f (gulla) Italian: orbe (it) Japanese: 球体 (ja) (きゅうたい, kyūtai) Korean: 천체 (ko) (cheonche) Latin: orbis (la) m Macedonian: сфе́ра f (sféra), ку́гла f (kúgla), то́пка (mk) f (tópka) Portuguese: orbe (pt) m Russian: сфе́ра (ru) f (sféra), шар (ru) m (šar) Spanish: orbe (es) m Swedish: klot (sv) n Tocharian B: yerpe Volapük: levalaglöp (vo)

mythology: transparent sphere carrying the heavenly bodies

Finnish: sfääri (fi) French: sphère (fr) f Macedonian: сфе́ра f (sféra) Spanish: orbe (es) m

circle — see circle

orbit — see orbit

period of time marked off by the revolution of a heavenly body — see year

poetic: the eye, as luminous and spherical

Czech: oko (cs) n Dutch: oogappel (nl) French: œil (fr) m Italian: occhio (it), globo (it) Macedonian: о́ко (mk) n (óko)

poetic: a revolving circular body; a wheel

Finnish: pyörä (fi) French: sphère (fr) f Italian: sfera (it)

sphere of action

Finnish: ympyrät pl

monarch's ceremonial sphere — see globus cruciger

Verb

orb (third-person singular simple present orbs, present participle orbing, simple past and past participle orbed)

1. (poetic, transitive) To form into an orb or circle.
   • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Let each
     His adamantine coat gird well, and each
     Fit well his helm, gripe fast his orbed shield

   • 1842, James Russell Lowell, sonnet:

     a full-orbed sun

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXIV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 41:

     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?

2. (poetic, intransitive) To become round like an orb.
3. (poetic, transitive) To encircle; to surround; to enclose.
   • 1717, Joseph Addison, Metamorphoses:

     The wheels were orbed with gold.

Etymology 2

From Old French orb (“blind”), from Latin orbus (“destitute”).

Noun

orb (plural orbs)

1. (architecture) A blank window or panel.
   • 1845, Robert Willis, The Architectural History of Canterbury Cathedral:

     small blank windows or panels, for in later times such panels were called orbs, blind windows

References

• “orb”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• BOR, Bor, Bor., ROB, Rob, bor, bro, bro., rob

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• orbu

Etymology

From Latin orbus. Compare Romanian orb.

Adjective

orb m (feminine singular orbe, masculine plural orghi, feminine plural orbi)

1. blind
2. (figurative) ignorant
3. (figurative) uncultivated, unrefined, uncivilized

Related terms

• urbari
• urbiatse

See also

• chior

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan orb (also spelled horp), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos (“orphan”). Compare Occitan òrb, Italian orbo, Romanian orb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈɔrp]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈɔɾp]

Adjective

orb (feminine orba, masculine plural orbs, feminine plural orbes)

1. blind

   Synonym: cec

Noun

orb m (uncountable)

1. a fungal disease of wheat and other cereals

References

• “orb”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “orb”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “orb” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “orb” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Estonian

Etymology

Borrowed from Finnish orpo, from Proto-Finnic *orpoi, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *orpa, borrowed from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hárbʰas. Cognate with Hungarian árva.

PIE word
*h₃órbʰos

Noun

orb (genitive orvu, partitive orbu)

1. orphan

Declension

Declension of orb (ÕS type 22e/riik, b-v gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		orb	orvud
accusative	nom.
	gen.	orvu
genitive			orbude
partitive		orbu	orbe orbusid
illative		orbu orvusse	orbudesse orvesse
inessive		orvus	orbudes orves
elative		orvust	orbudest orvest
allative		orvule	orbudele orvele
adessive		orvul	orbudel orvel
ablative		orvult	orbudelt orvelt
translative		orvuks	orbudeks orveks
terminative		orvuni	orbudeni
essive		orvuna	orbudena
abessive		orvuta	orbudeta
comitative		orvuga	orbudega

Further reading

• “orb”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
• “orb”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018, →ISBN
• orb in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin orbus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos (“orphan”). Compare Italian orbo. Doublet of rob.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /orb/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

orb m or n (feminine singular oarbă, masculine plural orbi, feminine/neuter plural oarbe)

1. blind

Declension

Declension of orb

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	orb		oarbă		orbi	oarbe
	definite	orbul		oarba		orbii	oarbele
genitive- dative	indefinite	orb		oarbe		orbi	oarbe
	definite	orbului		oarbei		orbilor	oarbelor

Noun

orb m (plural orbi, feminine equivalent oarbă)

1. blind man

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	orb	orbul		orbi	orbii
genitive-dative	orb	orbului		orbi	orbilor
vocative	orbule			orbilor

Derived terms

• orbeț
• orbi

Related terms

• orbecăi

See also

• chior
• mut
• surd
• vedea