suborbital

[suhb-awr-bi-tl]

adjective

(of a spacecraft) not in orbit; not achieving an altitude and velocity resulting in a ballistic trajectory circling the earth at least once.
Anatomy. situated below the orbit of the eye.

Origin of suborbital

First recorded in 1815–25; sub- + orbital

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for suborbital

Historical Examples of suborbital

The so-called tear-sacks or suborbital pits come under this head.
The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex
Charles Darwin
There is no crumen or suborbital gland, which is so generally (though by no means universally) present in Cervidae.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
It has no suborbital glands or lachrymal fossae, which are as a rule present in the Sheep and absent from the Goats.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
Orbits marginal, bounded inferiorly not by the suborbital element.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)
David Starr Jordan
In females the dorsum is dull olive-brown; the anterior part of the head is tan, and the suborbital spot is yellowish tan.
A Synopsis of Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Osteocephalus
Linda Trueb

British Dictionary definitions for suborbital

suborbital

adjective

(of a rocket, missile, etc) having a flight path that is less than one complete orbit of the earth or other celestial body
anatomy situated beneath the orbit of the eye

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

suborbital in Medicine

suborbital

[sŭb-ôr′bĭ-tl]

adj.

Situated on or below the floor of the orbit of the eye.

A suborbital part, such as a bone, nerve, or cartilage.