Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Circular or spherical.
  • adjective Botany Circular and flat. Used especially of leaves.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In petrography, in phanerocrystal-line igneous rocks, having large spheroidal aggregations of minerals, in radial or concentric groups of megascopic crystals: as, orbicular granite, orbicular diorite.
  • Having the shape of an orb or orbit; spherical; circular; discoidal; round.
  • Rounded; complete; perfect.
  • In entomology, having a regularly rounded surface and bordered by a circular margin: as, the orbicular pronotum of a beetle.
  • In botany, having the shape of a flat body with a nearly circular outline: as, an orbicular leaf. Also orbiculate.
  • noun In entomology, a circular mark or spot nearly always found on the anterior wings of the noctuid moths.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Resembling or having the form of an orb; spherical; circular; orbiculate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Circular or spherical in shape; round.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having the shape of a sphere or ball
  • adjective circular or nearly circular

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English orbiculer, from Old French orbiculaire, from Late Latin orbiculāris, from Latin orbiculus, diminutive of orbis, circle, disk; see orbh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the Late Latin orbiculāris, from Latin orbiculus, diminutive of orbis ("orb").

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Examples

  • A couple of basketballs (multiple orbicular adjacencies) sitting (self-referentially abiding) in an empty aquarium (post-emptively vacated) looks pretty much the same no matter how described: obfuscatory, vacuous, goofy, uninspiring.

    It Is Perfectly Clear: Multiple Orbicular Adjacencies Abide 2008

  • But, in this case, he included an interesting observation: “…the operculum is orbicular, and so small as to admit of the animal retiring one half the length of the shell.”

    Archive 2006-06-01 AYDIN 2006

  • F.R.S. Lamarck separated the mother-of-pearls shell (MARGARITA) from the swallow-tail muscles (AVICULA) on account of its more orbicular shape.

    Journals of expeditions of discovery into Central Australia, and overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound, in the years 1840-1 2004

  • The world is spherical; the orbicular hath the pre-eminence above all other figures, for being round itself it hath its parts like itself.

    Essays and Miscellanies 2004

  • Empedocles, before the four elements, introduceth the most minute bodies which resemble elements; but they did exist before the elements, having similar parts and orbicular.

    Essays and Miscellanies 2004

  • There is another tree with orbicular leaves in pairs, which grows to an immense size.

    Unbeaten Tracks in Japan Isabella Lucy 2004

  • Assuredly, fire is borne aloft, is without a soul, is easily quenchable and corruptible; but the sun is orbicular and animate, eternal and imperishable.

    Essays and Miscellanies 2004

  • The Suffet had collected his men into an orbicular mass, in such

    Salammbo 2003

  • The leaves are extremely varied, from deeply cordate to almost orbicular, 4-20 cm long, opposite or alternate.

    Chapter 37 1987

  • The leaves are cordate-orbicular to ovate-orbicular, strongly acuminate, 15-30 cm long and broad; the petioles are thickened at the base with ear like projections that often encircle the stem.

    Chapter 37 1987

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  • I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion.

    -- Bartleby the Scrivener

    November 21, 2009