Orbs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rounded object commonly seen in both physical forms like planets and abstract representations in art or spirituality
2. Spherical entities that can manifest as celestial formations, decorative motifs, or symbols of energy and mystery
3. Three-dimensional round shapes often visible as physical spheres or symbolic forms

Etymology: "Orbs" is the plural of "orb", and the singular has an unexpected double life: one of its sources is Latin "orbus", meaning "bereaved" or "destitute", while the other is Latin "orbis", meaning "circle". The two arrived in English by different routes, both through Old French, which is why a word for a glowing sphere can share ancestry with a word for blindness. The "circle" line is the one behind the sphere sense. "Orbis" gave Old French "orbe", which passed into Middle English as "orbe", and it carried the idea of a round body, which is how the word came to name globes and spheres. The same Latin root is the ancestor of "orbit", which is why the two words feel related today. The "blind" line is the surprise. Old French "orb" meant "blind", descending from Latin "orbus", and the connection to a circle is easy to miss. The two senses were kept distinct, so the sphere meaning and the blindness meaning do not overlap in English.

Synonyms: spheres, globe, balls, discs, circles