Words / B2

ORB-it/ˈɔːbɪt/

An orbit is the curved path of a planet, moon, or satellite, or a sphere of influence: in orbit; in the orbit of a party. Path is wider; satellite is the object (already elsewhere). Calculate the orbit time in the physics paper. Verb: orbit the Earth. Mix-up: habit is a routine; arbiter is a judge. Do not call a flight path an orbit unless it is around a body.

Meaning

The curved path of a planet, moon, or satellite; also a sphere of influence.

Examples

• “Calculate the orbit time in the physics paper, not a holiday flight path.”
• “A think-tank in the minister’s orbit featured in the source, which is the influence sense.”

Good to know

in orbit; an orbit of; orbit + planet. Object: satellite. Trap: habit. Physics, geography, and politics. A path around a body, or a circle of influence.

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