Orbital
/ˈɔːr.bɪ.təl/noun
Relating to an orbit, or to the eye socket.
Did you know?Its deepest root is tied to the idea of a wheel or circle, which is why the same ancient linguistic family also gave us words like *orbit*, *herb*, and *year* through old Indo-European pathways.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂er-
“to move in a circle, turn”
Latin
Latin
orbis
“circle, disk, ring, sphere”
Classical Latin
Latin
orbita
“wheel track, rut; later, the path of a celestial body”
Late Latin
Latin
orbitalis
“of a circle or orbit”
Middle English
English
orbital
“relating to an orbit or the eye socket”
Modern English
English
orbital
“relating to an orbit; especially the path of a body around another body, or the eye socket”