noun · masculinethird declension
orbis
orbis m (genitive orbis)
Classical[ˈɔr.bɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɔr.bis]
№ 322 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- masculinecircle, ring
- masculineof things that return at a certain period of time, a rotation, round, circuit
- masculinean orb (sphere)
- masculinea country, territory or region
- masculinea disc or disc-shaped object
- masculinethe Earth, the world, the globe
totus orbis terrarum
the whole wide worldHīc, hīc sunt in nostrō numerō, Patrēs Cōnscrīptī — in hōc orbis terrae sānctissimō gravissimōque cōnsiliō — quī dē nostrō omnium interitū, quī dē huius urbis atque adeō dē orbis terrārum exitiō cōgitent!
Here, here they are among our assembly, Conscript Fathers — in this, the most sacred and most solemn council of every land — those who plan the death of us all, who plot the destruction of this city, and even the ruin of the whole world! (Literally, “of the sphere of land(s).”)63 BCE, Cicero, In Catilinam orationes 1.9
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
fōrma quae fīnem nōn habet, ut ānulus; orbis terrārum = tōtus mundus.orbis -is m — in Mille Verba, Caelum et Tempestātēs
circulus; orbis terrārum = mundusorbis -is (m) — in Metamorphoses I, †
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Orbis · Circulus · Gyrus
Orbis (from ῥαιβός) denotes a circular motion, and the periphery described by it; whereas circulus denotes a circular level; lastly, gyrus (from γυρός) a curved, and especially a serpentine line. The phrase in orbem consistere could not be changed into in circulum, and a limited social circle, circulus, could not be expressed by orbis. Tac. G. 6. Equi nec variare gyros nostrum in modum docentur; in rectum aut uno flexu dextros agunt, ita conjuncto orbe ut nemo posterior sit. (v. 182.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | orbis | orbēs |
| genitive | orbis | orbium |
| dative | orbī | orbibus |
| accusative | orbem | orbēs orbīs |
| ablative | orbe orbī | orbibus |
| vocative | orbis | orbēs |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- orbis medius
- the temperate zone.
- orbis lacteus
- the milky way.
- orbis signifer
- the zodiac.
- in orbem consistere
- to form a square.
- orbis terrae, terrarum
- the earth; the globe
- orbis, pars (terrae), cingulus
- a zone.
- orbis finiens (Div. 2. 44. 92)
- the horizon.
- orbem facere (Sall. Iug. 97. 5)
- to form a square.
1 more phrases
- imperium orbis terrarum terminis definitur
- the empire reaches to the ends of the world.
orbis, is (nom. orbs, Ven. Carm. 8, 5. —
I. Abl. regul. orbe;
but orbi, Lucr. 5, 74: ex orbi, Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 16; Rutil. ap. Charis. p. 112 P.: orbi terrae, in the meaning in the world, Cic. Sest. 30, 66; so, orbi terrarum, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 38, § 82 Halm; id. Dom. 10, 24; id. Fragm. ap. Charis. p. 112 P.), m. etym. dub.; perh. akin to Sanscr. dhvar, bend, twist, any thing of a circular shape, a ring, round surface, disk, hoop, orbit, orb, a circle (class.; cf.: circus, circulus, gyrus, spira). I. Lit.:
in orbem torquere, Cic. Univ. 7: curvare aliquid in orbem, Ov. M. 2, 715: certumque equitavit in orbem, id. ib. 12, 468.—Of a ring: et digitum justo commodus orbe teras, fit exactly, Ov. Am. 2, 15, 6: unionum, roundness, Plin. 9, 35, 56, § 113.—Of a circle formed by men: ut in orbem consisterent, place themselves in a circle, form a circle, Caes. B. G. 5, 33: cum illi, orbe facto, se defenderent, id. ib. 4, 37: orbem volventes suos increpans, Liv. 4, 28: in orbem pugnare, id. 28, 22, 15: in orbem sese stantibus equis defendere, id. 28, 33, 15: stella (φαέθων) eundem duodecim signorum orbem annis duodecim conficit, the zodiac, Cic. N. D. 2, 20, 52: lacteus, the Milky Way, id. Rep. 6, 16, 16.—Of the orbit of a heavenly body: sidera circulos suos orbesque conficiunt, Cic. Rep. 6, 15, 15.—Of a serpent, the windings, coils: immensis orbibus angues Incumbunt pelago, Verg. A. 2, 204.—Of a circular surface or disk: orbis mensae, a round table-top, Ov. H. 17, 87; cf. Juv. 11, 122.—Also, simply orbes, a round table, Mart. 2, 43; Juv. 1, 137.—Of a quoit or discus: ictus ab orbe, Ov. Ib. 590.—Of the scale of a balance: instabilis natat alterno depressior orbe, Tib. 4, 1, 44.—Of a mirror: addidit et nitidum sacratis crinibus orbem, Mart. 9, 18, 5.—Of a shield: illa (hasta) per orbem Aere cavum triplici ... Transiit, Verg. A. 10, 783; Petr. 89.—Of a mosaic pavement of rounded pieces of marble, Juv. 11, 175.—Of a scale, one side of a balance, Tib. 4, 1, 44.—Of the millstones of an oil-mill, Cato, R. R. 22.—Of the wooden disk placed over olives in pressing them, Cato, R. R. 18.—Of the hoop or tire of a wheel: rotarum orbes circumacti, Plin. 8, 16, 19, § 52.—Of the wheel itself: undaque jam tergo ferratos sustinet orbes, Verg. G. 3, 361.—Hence, the wheel of fortune, Tib. 1, 5, 70; Ov. Tr. 5, 8, 7; id. P. 2, 3, 56.—Of the socket of the eye: inanem luminis orbem, Ov. M. 14, 200.—Of the eye itself: gemino lumen ab orbe venit, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 16: ardentes oculorum orbes ad moenia torsit, Verg. A. 12, 670.—Of the sun's disk or orb: lucidus orbis, Verg. G. 1, 459.—Of the moon's disk or orb: quater junctis implevit cornibus orbem Luna, quater plenum tenuata retexuit orbem, Ov. M. 7, 530.—Of the circle of the world, the world, the universe: Juppiter arce suā totum cum spectet in orbem, Ov. F. 1, 85: renatus, the new-born day, Sil. 5, 56: terrarum or terrae, the circle or orb of the earth, the world (since the ancients regarded the earth as a circular plane or disk): permittitur infinita potestas orbis terrarum, Cic. Agr. 2, 13, 33: ager Campanus orbis terrae pulcherrimus, id. ib. 2, 28, 76; id. Sest. 30, 66: cunctus ob Italiam terrarum clauditur orbis? Verg. A. 1, 233; cf. id. ib. 7, 224.—Also, simply orbis (so mostly poet.): hic, ubi nunc Roma est orbis caput, arbor et herbae, Ov. F. 5, 93: unus, Juv. 10, 168; 4, 148: universus, Vulg. Luc. 2, 1; id. Apoc. 12, 9.—Hence, a country, region, territory: Eoo dives ab orbe redit, the East, Ov. F. 3, 466: Assyrius, Juv. 2, 108: noster, Plin. 12, 12, 26, § 45.—A kind of fish, Plin. 32, 2, 5, § 14 Sillig; cf. Isid. Orig. 12, 6, 6.— II. Trop., a circle.
A. Of things that return at a certain period of time, a rotation, round, circuit:
ut idem in singulos annos orbis volveretur, Liv. 3, 10: insigne regium in orbem per omnes iret, in rotation, id. 3, 36: orbis hic in re publicā est conversus, the circle of political changes, Cic. Att. 2, 9, 1.—B. Orbis doctrinae, an encyclopœdia: orbis ille doctrinae quam Graeci ἐγκύκλιον παιδείαν vocant, Quint. 1, 10, 1.—
C. Of speech, a rounding off, roundness, rotundity:
circuitum, et quasi orbem verborum conficere, Cic. de Or. 3, 51, 198: orationis, id. Or. 71, 234: historia non tam finitos numeros quam orbem quendam contextumque desiderat, Quint. 9, 4, 129.—D. A circle or cycle of thought:
sententiae Pyrrhonis in hunc orbem quem circumscripsimus, incidere non possunt, Cic. Fin. 5, 8, 23; cf.: circa vilem patulumque orbem, Hor. A. P. 132.—E. Esp.: in orbem ire, to go the rounds, go around:
quinque dierum spatio finiebatur imperium ac per omnes in orbem ibant, in turn, Liv. 1, 17, 6; 3, 36, 3.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
orbis is, abl. orbe (rarely -bī, C.), m
a ring, circle, re-entering way, circular path, hoop, orbit: in orbem intorquere: in orbem curvat (iter) eun<*> dem, O.: digitum iusto commodus orbe teras, a ring, O.: ut in orbem consisterent, form a circle, Cs.: orbe facto se defendere, a hollow square, Cs.: orbem volventes suos increpans, L.: in orbem sese stantibus equis defendere, L.: duodecim signorum orbis, zodiac: lacteus, Milky Way: sidera suos orbes conficiunt, orbits: inmensis orbibus angues Incumbunt pelago, coils, V.—A round surface, disk, circle: mensae, round top, O.: de tot pulchris orbibus comedunt, round tables, Iu.: lucidus, disk (of the sun), V.: ictus ab orbe, quoit, O.: (hasta) per orbem cavum Transit, shield, V.—A mosaic pavement, Iu.—One side of a balance: alterno orbe, Tb.—A wheel: Unda ferratos sustinet orbes, V.: Fortunae stantis in orbe Numen, her wheel, O.—An eye-socket, eye: gemino lumen ab orbe venit, eye, O.: oculorum orbes, V.—With terrae or terrarum, the circle of the world, earth, world, universe: orbis terrae, S., C.: terrarum orbis, V.—The earth, world, universe (sc. terrae): Iuppiter totum cum spectet in orbem, O.: Si fractus inlabatur orbis, H.: Roma orbis caput, O.—A country, region, territory: Eoo dives ab orbe redit, the East, O.: Assyrius, Iu.—Fig., a circle, rotation, round, circuit: ut idem in singulos annos orbis volveretur, L.: orbis hic in re p. est conversus, the circle of political change: imperium per omnīs in orbem ibat, in rotation, L.—In time, a cycle, round, period: Annuus, V.: Triginta magnos volvendis mensibus orbīs explebit, years, V. —Of speech, a rounding off, period, cycle: quasi orbem verborum conficere: orationis.—A cycle of thought: sententiae Pyrrhonis in hunc orbem incidere non possunt: circa vilem patulumque orbem, the trite and obvious path, H.
Origins
Of uncertain origin. May stem from Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰis (“circle, orb”), from the root *h₃erbʰ- (“to turn”).
Descendants
- Italianorbellofrom Vulgar Latin orbellus
- Englishorb
- Frenchorbe
- Italianorbe
- Portugueseorbe
- Spanishorbe
- Japaneseオービス