orbital
adjective (1)Definition of orbital
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: of, relating to, or forming an orbit (such as the orbit of a moon, planet, or spacecraft)
the orbital path of a satellite The Gregorian calendar is purely based on the position of the sun as seen from Earth, and is closely related to the Earth's orbital period.— Martin George In October 1957, a whirling orbital ball known as Sputnik roused Americans from their slumber and set into motion a rethinking of our educational system.— Sam Wineburg Blue Origin is also developing a crew capsule that might carry passengers by year's end. But that capsule is intended for brief up-and-down hops, not orbital flights, by tourists.— Marcia Dunn
2
chiefly British, of a roadway
: following a circular path around an urban area
The 117-mile orbital motorway encircles London and links to Heathrow and Gatwick airports.— Paul Harper
orbital
adjective (2)Definition of orbital (Entry 2 of 3)
: of, relating to, or located near the orbit of the eye
orbital bones He required 23 stitches to his face and had an orbital fracture below his left eye.— Rachel Rosenbaum
orbital
noun
plural orbitals
Definition of orbital (Entry 3 of 3)
physics
: a mathematically described region around a nucleus in an atom or molecule that may contain zero, one, or two electrons
Electrons arrange themselves in cloudlike regions around the nucleus called orbitals. These orbitals are designated by numbers for their energy level and letters (s, p, d, f) for their shape.— Beth Mole
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Time Traveler for orbital
The first known use of orbital was circa 1541
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