Orb \Orb\ ([^o]rb), n. [OF. orb blind, fr. L. orbus destitute.]
   (Arch.)
   A blank window or panel. [Obs.] --Oxf. Gloss.
   [1913 Webster]

	

	Orb \Orb\, n. [F. orbe, fr. L. orbis circle, orb. Cf. Orbit.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. A spherical body; a globe; especially, one of the
      celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star.
      [1913 Webster]

            In the small orb of one particular tear. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

            Whether the prime orb,
            Incredible how swift, had thither rolled. --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. One of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the
      ancients to be inclosed one within another, and to carry
      the heavenly bodies in their revolutions.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A circle; esp., a circle, or nearly circular orbit,
      described by the revolution of a heavenly body; an orbit.
      [1913 Webster]

            The schoolmen were like astronomers, which did feign
            eccentrics, and epicycles, and such engines of orbs.
                                                  --Bacon.
      [1913 Webster]

            You seem to me as Dian in her orb.    --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

            In orbs
            Of circuit inexpressible they stood,
            Orb within orb.                       --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. A period of time marked off by the revolution of a
      heavenly body. [R.] --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. The eye, as luminous and spherical. [Poetic]
      [1913 Webster]

            A drop serene hath quenched their orbs. --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. A revolving circular body; a wheel. [Poetic]
      [1913 Webster]

            The orbs
            Of his fierce chariot rolled.         --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   7. A sphere of action or influence. --Wordsworth.
      [1913 Webster]

            But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe. --Shak
      [1913 Webster]

   8. Same as Mound, a ball or globe. See 1st Mound.
      [1913 Webster]

   9. (Mil.) A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for
      defense, esp. infantry to repel cavalry.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Globe; ball; sphere. See Globe.
        [1913 Webster]

	

	Orb \Orb\ ([^o]rb), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Orbed ([^o]rbd); p.
   pr. & vb. n. Orbing.]
   1. To form into an orb or circle. [Poetic] --Milton.
      --Lowell.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To encircle; to surround; to inclose. [Poetic]
      [1913 Webster]

            The wheels were orbed with gold.      --Addison.
      [1913 Webster]

	

	Orb \Orb\, v. i.
   To become round like an orb. [Poetic]
   [1913 Webster]

         And orb into the perfect star.           --Tennyson.
   [1913 Webster]

	

	orb
    n 1: the ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye [syn:
         eyeball, orb]
    2: an object with a spherical shape; "a ball of fire" [syn:
       ball, globe, orb]
    v 1: move in an orbit; "The moon orbits around the Earth"; "The
         planets are orbiting the sun"; "electrons orbit the
         nucleus" [syn: orb, orbit, revolve]

	

	133 Moby Thesaurus words for "orb":
   Aldebaran, Canicula, Dog Star, Hesper, Hesperus, Lucifer,
   North Star, Phosphor, Phosphorus, Polaris, Sirius, Venus, Vesper,
   ambit, area, arena, baby blues, bailiwick, ball, balloon,
   banjo eyes, beat, bladder, blob, boll, bolus, border, borderland,
   bright eyes, bubble, bulb, bulbil, bulblet, cap of dignity,
   cap of maintenance, celestial body, circle, circuit, clear eyes,
   comet, cornea, coronet, crown, daystar, demesne, department,
   diadem, discipline, domain, dominion, ellipsoid, ermine,
   evening star, eye, eyeball, eyelid, field, fixed stars, geoid,
   globe, globelet, globoid, globule, glomerulus, gob, gobbet,
   goggle eyes, great seal, heavenly body, hemisphere, iris,
   judicial circuit, jurisdiction, knob, knot, lamp, lens, lid,
   living sapphires, lodestar, march, morning star, naked eye,
   nictitating membrane, oblate spheroid, ocular, oculus, optic,
   optic nerve, orbit, orblet, organ of vision, pale, peeper, pellet,
   polar star, polestar, popeyes, precinct, privy seal,
   prolate spheroid, province, pupil, purple, purple pall, realm,
   regalia, retina, robe of state, rod, rod of empire, rondure, round,
   royal crown, saucer eyes, scepter, sclera, seal, signet, sphere,
   spheroid, spherule, starry host, starry orbs, stars, subdiscipline,
   tiara, triple plume, unaided eye, uraeus, visual organ, walk,
   winker

	

	ORB
       Object Request Broker (OMA, OMG, CORBA, ORB)

	

	Object Request Broker
ORB

    (ORB) Part of the OMG CORBA specification,
   an ORB's basic function is to pass method invocation
   requests to the correct objects and return the results to
   the caller.

   To achieve this the ORB must be able must be able to identify
   and locate objects, handle connections from invoker and the
   data returned from methods.  Communication between the ORB and
   applications are achieved through IDL stubs and skeletons
   whilst the OMG has specified IIOP as the protocol through
   which ORBs may communicate with each other.  Using IIOP, an
   ORB may request method invocations from a remote object.

   (2003-11-21)