The story
From Russian мо́лния (mólnija, “lightning”) + orbit. The Russian word was used as the name for a series of Soviet/Russian communications satellites, and the orbits which they were placed in.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Molniya orbit
Today it means: A highly elliptical orbit with an eccentricity of 0.74, inclination of 63.4 degrees, an argument of perigee of −90 degrees, and an orbital period of half a sidereal day, around the Earth. Full definition →