See Also: Orbital(medicine)
orbital fat-pad(medicine)
orbital rim(medicine)
orbital(dictionary)
orbital(encyclopedia)
zygomatico-orbital(medicine)
orbital process(medicine)
orbital 1, adjective(dictionary)
orbital plane(medicine)
orbital ophthalmoplegia(medicine)

orbital (iou)



orbital adjective & noun. M16.
[Prob. from medieval Latin orbitalis, formed as ORBIT noun: see -AL1.]
A. adjective.
Anatomy & Zoology. Of or pertaining to the orbit or eye socket. M16.
orbital index Anatomy one hundred times the ratio of the height of an orbit to its width.
Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of an orbit, esp. that of a celestial object; moving or taking place in an orbit or circular path. M19.
orbital sander: having a circular rather than an oscillating motion.
Of a road etc.: encircling a large town. Cf. ring-road s.v. RING noun1. M20.
b. noun.
Physics & Chemistry. An actual or potential pattern of electron density around an atomic nucleus or nuclei which may be formed by either one or two electrons in a bound state in an atom or molecule; the wave function of a single electron corresponding to any such pattern. M20.
An orbital road. L20.