English
orbicular
Orbicular comes from Late Latin orbiculāris ‘circular, orbicular’, from Latin orbiculus ‘diminutive of orbis: a small disk’, and ultimately from orbis ‘orb’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbis‘orb’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbiculus‘diminutive of orbis: a small disk’diminutive of orbis
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEorbiculāris‘circular, orbicular’
- Englishearliest quotation 1731orbicular
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbis‘orb’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbiculus‘diminutive of orbis: a small disk’diminutive of orbis
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEorbiculāris‘circular, orbicular’
- Englishearliest quotation 1731orbicular
Earliest quotation: 1731, The Gentleman's Magazine, Weekly Essays in June 1731: “[…] the Method used by Sailors when they mutiny,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ- ‘to turn’
robot, bot, orbit, orphan, erf, 14 more
through Latin orbis ‘orb’
Today it means
adj Circular or spherical in shape; round.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin orbis / orbicular