orbit

Where does the word "orbit" come from? It comes from Latin orbis, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Orbit’s story begins in Latin: orbis meant “a circle, ring.” A circle or ring, the root of anything circular. It reached English by 1600s as orbit. Settled as the word for the curved path of one body around another. Today, orbit means the curved path of an object around a star, planet, or moon.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient orbis "a circle, ring", a circle or ring, the root of anything circular.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s orbit "the path of one body around another", settled as the word for the curved path of one body around another.