Dust vs. Orb — What's the Difference?

Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution.

A sphere or spherical object.

Fine, dry particles of matter.

A celestial body, such as the sun or moon.

A cloud of fine, dry particles.

(Archaic) The earth.

Particles of matter regarded as the result of disintegration

One of a series of concentric transparent spheres thought by ancient and medieval astronomers to rotate about the earth and carry the celestial bodies.

Earth, especially when regarded as the substance of the grave

A globe surmounted by a cross, used as a symbol of monarchial power and justice.

The surface of the ground.

An eye or eyeball.

A debased or despised condition.

(Archaic) Something of circular form; a circle or orbit.

Something of no worth.

To shape into a circle or sphere.

Chiefly British Rubbish readied for disposal.

(Archaic) To encircle; enclose.

Confusion; agitation; commotion

To move in an orbit.

To remove dust from by wiping, brushing, or beating

A spherical body; a sphere, especially one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star

To sprinkle with a powdery substance

One of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the ancients to be enclosed one within another, and to carry the heavenly bodies in their revolutions

To apply or strew in fine particles

(architectural element) A structural motif or finial in the shape of a sphere

(Baseball) To deliver a pitch so close to (the batter) as to make the batter back away.

An orbit of an heavenly body

To clean by removing dust.

(rare) The time period of an orbit

To cover itself with dry soil or other particulate matter. Used of a bird.

(poetic) The eye, seen as a luminous and spherical entity

Fine particles

(poetic) Any revolving circular body, such as a wheel

(uncountable) Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, etc.

(rare) A sphere of action.

Submicron particles in outer space, largely silicates and carbon compounds, that contribute greatly to extinction at visible wavelengths.

A globus cruciger; a ceremonial sphere used to represent royal or imperial power

(obsolete) A single particle of earth or other material.

A translucent sphere appearing in flash photography (Orb (optics))

(countable) The act of cleaning by dusting.

(military) A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for defence, especially infantry to repel cavalry.

The earth, as the resting place of the dead.

(architecture) A blank window or panel.

The earthy remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body.

To form into an orb or circle.

(figurative) Something worthless.

To become round like an orb.

(figurative) A low or mean condition.

To encircle; to surround; to enclose.

Cash; money (in reference to gold dust).

A blank window or panel.

(colloquial) A disturbance or uproar.

A spherical body; a globe; especially, one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star.

(mathematics) A totally disconnected set of points with a fractal structure.

One of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the ancients to be inclosed one within another, and to carry the heavenly bodies in their revolutions.

(transitive) To remove dust from.

A circle; esp., a circle, or nearly circular orbit, described by the revolution of a heavenly body; an orbit.

(intransitive) To remove dust; to clean by removing dust.

A period of time marked off by the revolution of a heavenly body.

(intransitive) Of a bird, to cover itself in sand or dry, dusty earth.

The eye, as luminous and spherical.

(transitive) To spray or cover something with fine powder or liquid.

A revolving circular body; a wheel.

To leave; to rush off.

A sphere of action or influence.

To reduce to a fine powder; to levigate.

Same as Mound, a ball or globe. See 1st Mound.

(slang) To kill.

A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for defense, esp. infantry to repel cavalry.

Fine, dry particles of earth or other matter, so comminuted that they may be raised and wafted by the wind; that which is crumbled to minute portions; fine powder; as, clouds of dust; bone dust.

To form into an orb or circle.

A single particle of earth or other matter.

To encircle; to surround; to inclose.

The earth, as the resting place of the dead.

To become round like an orb.

The earthy remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body.

The ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye

Figuratively, a worthless thing.

An object with a spherical shape;

Figuratively, a low or mean condition.

Gold dust

To free from dust; to brush, wipe, or sweep away dust from; as, to dust a table or a floor.

To sprinkle with dust.

To reduce to a fine powder; to levigate.

Fine powdery material such as dry earth or pollen that can be blown about in the air;

The remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up

Free microscopic particles of solid material;

Remove the dust from;

Rub the dust over a surface so as to blur the outlines of a shape;

Cover with a light dusting of a substance;

Distribute loosely;