English · Word Candidate

orbital

/ɔː.bɪt.əl/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: orbitals

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Of or relating to, or forming an orbit (such as the orbit of a moon, planet, or spacecraft).

Adjective

Examples

The 1.2-meter-diameter (4-foot-diameter) telescope has set off on a monthlong journey to its orbital destination of the sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, which is nearly 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away from Earth and also home to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Euclid will keep pace with

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Of or relating to the eye socket (eyehole).

Adjective

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

A specification of the energy and probability density of one or more electrons at any point in an atom or molecule, representable as a wave function.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “orbital” mean?

Of or relating to, or forming an orbit (such as the orbit of a moon, planet, or spacecraft).

Is “orbital” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.