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Glite Dictionary
orbital cavity

orbital cavity

1 6.8
A bony socket in the skull that holds and protects the eye
  • noun
  • /ˈɔrbɪtəl ˈkævɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cavidad orbital
  • The surgeon inspected the orbital cavity for signs of trauma.

Examples

  • Infections in the orbital cavity can sometimes threaten vision if left untreated.

  • The orbital cavity houses not only the eyeball but also supporting muscles and nerves.

  • The orbital cavity protects the eye from injury.

  • Each orbital cavity supports the eyeball's position.

  • The surgeon carefully examined the patient's orbital cavity to ensure there were no fractures.

  • The orbital cavity provides protection for the eye against external injuries.

  • During the examination, the doctor pointed out the importance of the orbital cavity in housing the eyeball.

Synonyms

socket
vsorbital cavity
34 6.0

A hollow in a bone where an eye or tooth sits

is limited to the skull cavity that holds and protects the eyeball
eye socket
vsorbital cavity
  • Specialized
14 3.5

A hollow space in the skull that holds the eyeball

is another common name for the same skull cavity
orbit
vsorbital cavity
  • Specialized
5 8.1

A bony hollow in the skull that holds and protects the eye

focuses only on the eyeball rather than the additional structures
cranial orbit
vsorbital cavity
  • Specialized
7.7

A bony space in the skull that holds and protects the eye

is an alternative name with identical anatomical meaning

Surface Forms

orbital cavity singular
orbital cavities plural

Morphology

orbital + cavity

The meaning is directly compositional: 'orbital' specifies relation to the orbit/eye socket and 'cavity' means a hollow, so together they denote the hollow socket that holds the eyeball. This adjectival + noun combination follows regular compounding patterns and parallels terms in many languages, so a learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The term orbital cavity shows a simple picture: orbital points to the eye area and cavity means a hollow. Imagine the eyeball sitting like a ball in a cup of bone, so the phrase means 'the bony socket that holds and protects the eyeball'.