Lewis & Short

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orbis, is (nom. orbs, Ven. Carm. 8, 5.
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, id. 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).

  1. 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.
  2. II. Trop., a circle.
    1. 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.
    2. B. Orbis doctrinae, an encyclopœdia: orbis ille doctrinae quam Graeci ἐγκύκλιον παιδείαν vocant, Quint. 1, 10, 1.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.