Etymograph

English

orbiculate

Orbiculate comes from Latin orbiculātus ‘rounded, circular, orbiculate’, from orbiculus ‘diminutive of orbis: a small disk’, and ultimately from orbis.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbis‘a ring, disk, circle’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbiculus‘diminutive of orbis: a small disk’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbiculātus‘rounded, circular, orbiculate’
  4. Englishtodayorbiculate

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbis‘a ring, disk, circle’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbiculus‘diminutive of orbis: a small disk’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorbiculātus‘rounded, circular, orbiculate’
  4. Englishtodayorbiculate

first attested First attested in 1650 (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested in 1650; borrowed from Latin orbiculātus, from orbiculus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ- ‘to turn’

robot, bot, orbit, orphan, erf, 14 more

through Latin orbis ‘a ring, disk, circle’

orb, 5 more

Today it means

adj spherical or circular; orbicular

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin orbis / orbiculate

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