orbital
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.relating to the path of an object moving around a planet, moon, or star.
adj.relating to or following the path of an orbit, particularly of a celestial body or spacecraft.
Simple“The satellite reached its orbital position and began sending signals back to Earth.”
In context“Engineers calculated the precise orbital velocity required to maintain a stable position above the equator without falling back into the atmosphere.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun.
- 02 C1 Advanced
adj.describing a road or railway that goes around the outside of a city.
adj.describing a transport route, such as a motorway or railway line, that circles the periphery of an urban area.
Simple“Traffic was heavy on the orbital motorway during the morning rush hour.”
In context“The construction of the new orbital road was intended to divert heavy freight traffic away from the historic city centre.”
UsageCommonly used in British English to describe ring roads.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
adj.relating to the bony hole in the skull where the eye sits.
adj.relating to the orbit or eye socket of the skull.
Simple“The boxer suffered an orbital fracture during the final round of the fight.”
In context“The surgeon carefully examined the orbital floor to ensure no nerve damage had occurred during the impact.”
UsageUsed primarily in medical and anatomical contexts.
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a mathematical description of where an electron is likely to be in an atom.
n.a mathematical function describing the location and wave-like behaviour of an electron in an atom.
Simple“In chemistry class, we learned how electrons fill different orbitals.”
In context“The overlapping of atomic orbitals is a fundamental concept in understanding the formation of covalent bonds between atoms.”
Synonymselectron cloud
Usage orbital data
“They frame these plans as environmentally beneficial because an orbital data center wouldn't require the same amount of water or electricity as a data center on Earth.”
“How hard is it to build orbital data centers, actually?”
Borrowed from Medieval Latin orbitālis, from orbita (“a track or rut; a circuit, orbit”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix), equivalent to orbit + -al. Doublet of orbitalis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.