orbiteer

American  

[awr-bi-teer] / ˌɔr bɪˈtɪər /

verb (used with object)

1. to climb (a mountain) in a circular fashion as opposed to scaling.

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verb (used without object)

1. to climb a mountain in this way.

Other Word Forms

• orbiteering noun

Etymology

Origin of orbiteer

First recorded in 1985–90; orbit ( def. ) (in the sense “move in an orbital or elliptical path”) + -eer ( def. ); possibly coined by Edward “Ned” Gillette (1945-98), U.S. mountaineer, skier, and author