Meaning of word orient

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of Occident, the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the continent of Asia, loosely classified into the Western Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and sometimes including the Caucasus. Originally, the term Orient was used to designate only the Near East, and later its meaning evolved and expanded, designating also the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Far East.

The term oriental is often used to describe objects from the Orient.^[1]

Etymology[edit]

The term «Orient» derives from the Latin word oriens meaning «east» (lit. «rising» < orior » rise»). The use of the word for «rising» to refer to the east (where the sun rises) has analogues from many languages: compare the terms «Arevelk» in Armenian: Արեւելք (Armenian Arevelk means «East» or «Sunrise»), «Levant» (< French levant «rising»), «Vostok» Russian: Восток (< Russian voskhod Russian: восход «sunrise»), «Anatolia» (< Greek anatole), «mizrahi» in Hebrew («zriha» meaning sunrise), «sharq» Arabic: شرق (< Arabic yashriq يشرق «rise», shurūq Arabic: شروق «rising»), «shygys» Kazakh: шығыс (< Kazakh shygu Kazakh: шығу «come out»), Turkish: doğu (< Turkish doğmak to be born; to rise), «xavar» Persian: خاور (meaning east), Chinese: 東 (pinyin: dōng, a pictograph of the sun rising behind a tree^[2]) and «The Land of the Rising Sun» to refer to Japan. In Arabic, the Mashriq literally means «the sunrise», «the east», the name is derived from the verb sharaqa (Arabic: شرق «to shine, illuminate, radiate» and «to rise»), from sh-r-q root (ش-ر-ق), referring to the east, where the sun rises.^[3][4] Historically, the Mashriq was the southern part of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Many ancient temples, including pagan temples and the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, were built with their main entrances facing the East. This tradition was carried on in Christian churches.

The opposite term «Occident» derives from the Latin word occidens, meaning west (lit. setting < occido fall/set). This term meant the west (where the sun sets) but has fallen into disuse in English, in favour of «Western world».

History of the term[edit]

Territorialization of the Roman term Orient occurred during the reign of emperor Diocletian (284–305), when the Diocese of the Orient (Latin: Dioecesis Orientis) was formed. Later in the 4th century, the Praetorian prefecture of the Orient (Latin: Praefectura Praetorio Orientis) was also formed, including most of the Eastern Roman Empire, from the Thrace eastwards; its easternmost part was the original Diocese of the Orient, corresponding roughly to the region of Syria.

Over time, the common understanding of «the Orient» has continually shifted eastwards, as European people travelled farther into Asia. It finally reached the Pacific Ocean, in what Westerners came to call «the Far East». These shifts in time and identification sometimes confuse the scope (historical and geographic) of Oriental Studies. Yet there remain contexts where «the Orient» and «Oriental» have kept their older meanings (e.g., «Oriental spices» typically are from the regions extending from the Middle East to sub-continental India to Indo-China). Travellers may again take the Orient Express train from Paris to its terminus in the European part of Istanbul, a route established in the early 20th century.

In European historiography, the meaning of «the Orient» changed in scope several times. Originally, the term referred to Egypt, the Levant, and adjoining areas^[5] as far west as Morocco. During the 1800s, India, and to a lesser extent China, began to displace the Levant as the primary subject of Orientalist research, while the term also appears in mid-century works to describe an appearance or perceived similarity to «Oriental» government or culture, such as in Tolstoy’s 1869 novel War and Peace, in which Napoleon, upon seeing the «oriental beauty» of Moscow, calls it «That Asiatic city of the innumerable churches, holy Moscow!»,^[6] while in 1843 the American historian William Prescott uses the phrase «barbaric pomp, truly Oriental» to describe the court life of Aztec nobility in his history of the conquest of the Aztec Empire.^[7] As late as 1957 Karl Wittfogel included Rome and the Incan Empire in his study of what he called Oriental Despotism, demonstrating the term still carries a meaning in Western thought that transcends geography. By the mid-20th century, Western scholars generally considered «the Orient» as just East Asia, Southeast Asia, and eastern Central Asia.^[5] As recently as the early 20th century, the term «Orient» often continued to be used in ways that included North Africa. Today, the term primarily evokes images of China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Mongolia, and peninsular Southeast Asia.^[5] «The Orient» being largely a cultural term, large parts of Asia—Siberia most notably—were excluded from the scholarly notion of «the Orient».^[5]

Equally valid terms for the Orient still exist in the English language in such collocations as Oriental studies (now Asian Studies in some countries).

The adjectival term Oriental has been used by the West to mean cultures, peoples, countries, Asian rugs, and goods from the Orient. «Oriental» means generally «eastern». It is a traditional designation (especially when capitalized) for anything belonging to the Orient or «East» (for Asia), and especially of its Eastern culture. It indicated the eastern direction in historical astronomy, often abbreviated «Ori».^[8] In contemporary American English, Oriental usually refers to things from the parts of East Asia traditionally occupied by East Asians and most Central Asians and Southeast Asians racially categorized as «Mongoloid». This excludes Jews, Indians, Arabs, and most other South or West Asian peoples. Because of historical discrimination against Chinese, Korean and Japanese, in some parts of the United States, some people consider the term derogatory. For example, Washington State prohibits the word «Oriental» in legislation and government documents and prefers the word «Asian» instead.^[9]

In more local uses, «oriental» is also used for eastern parts of countries such as Morocco’s Oriental Region.» Oriental» may also be used as an synonym of «eastern», especially in Romance languages. Examples include the «oriental» and «occidental» provinces of Mindoro and Negros in the Philippines, and the French département of Pyrénées-Orientales.

Since the 19th century, «orientalist» has been the traditional term for a scholar of Oriental studies; however, the use in English of «Orientalism» to describe academic «Oriental studies» is rare: the Oxford English Dictionary cites only one such usage, by Lord Byron in 1812. «Orientalism» is more widely used to refer to the works of the many 19th-century artists who specialized in «Oriental» subjects and often drew on their travels to North Africa and Western Asia. Artists, as well as scholars, were already described as «Orientalists» in the 19th century. In 1978, the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said published his influential and controversial book, Orientalism, and used the term to describe a pervasive Western tradition, both academic and artistic, of prejudiced outsider interpretations of the Arab and Muslim worlds that has been shaped by the attitudes of European imperialism in the 18th and the 19th centuries.^[10]

Current usage[edit]

British English[edit]

In British English, the term Oriental is sometimes still used to refer to people from East and Southeast Asia (such as those from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mongolia, Brunei and Laos).^[11]

«Asian» in Great Britain sometimes refers to people who come specifically from South Asia (in particular Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and sometimes Afghanistan), since British Asians as a whole make up approximately 9.3% of the population within the United Kingdom, and people of an ethnically South Asian background comprise the largest group within this category.^[12] «Orientals» refers exclusively to people of East and Southeast Asian origin, who constitute approximately 0.7% of the UK population as a whole. Of these, the majority are of Chinese descent.^[13]
Orient is also a word for the lustre of a fine pearl.^[14] Hong Kong, a former British colony, has been called «Pearl of the Orient» along with Shanghai. In the UK, and much of the commonwealth, it is not considered a pejorative term, with many East Asian people choosing to use it themselves — notably in the names of East Asian businesses such as restaurants and takeaway outlets.

People in the United Kingdom from Western Asia, Asia Minor and Near East are often referred to as «Middle Eastern». These can include Arabs, Israelis, Kurds, Iranians, Turks, Assyrians, West Asian Armenians, Yezidis, Egyptians (including Copts), Syriac Arameans, Mandeans, Shabakis and Turvomans among others.

American English[edit]

The term Oriental may sound dated or even taken as pejorative by some, particularly when used as a noun.^[15] John Kuo Wei Tchen, director of the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program and Institute at New York University, said the basic criticism of the term began in the U.S. during a cultural shift in the 1970s. He has said: «With the U.S.A. anti-war movement in the ’60s and early ’70s, many Asian Americans identified the term ‘Oriental’ with a Western process of racializing Asians as forever opposite ‘others'»,^[16] by making a distinction between «Western» and «Eastern» ancestral origins.

This is particularly relevant when referring to lands and peoples not associated with the historic «Orient»: outside of the former Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and Sasanian Empire (Persia), including the former Diocese of the Orient, as well as others lands sharing cultural legacies with the Oriental Orthodox churches and Oriental Catholic Churches. In contrast, regions of Asia further East, outside of the cultural domination of Abrahamic religions, do not share these same historical associations, giving way for the term «oriental» to have different connotations.

In 2016, President Obama signed New York Congresswoman Grace Meng’s legislation H.R. 4238 replacing the word with Asian American in federal law.^[17][18]

China[edit]

The Chinese word 东方 is translated as «oriental» in the official English names of several entities, e.g. Oriental Art Center, Oriental Movie Metropolis. In other cases, the same word is more literally translated as «eastern», e.g. China Eastern Airlines.

Uruguay[edit]

The official name of Uruguay is Oriental Republic of Uruguay, the adjective Oriental refers to the geographic location of the country, east of the Uruguay River.

The term Oriental is also used as Uruguay’s demonym, usually with a formal or solemn connotation. The word also has a deep historical meaning as a result of its prolonged use in the region, since the 18th century it was used in reference to the inhabitants of the Banda Oriental, the historical name of the territories that now compose the modern nation of Uruguay.

German[edit]

In German, Orient is usually used synonymously with the area between the Near East and East Asia, including Israel, the Arab world, and Greater Persia.^{[citation needed]}

The term Asiaten (English: Asians) means Asian people in general. Another word for Orient in German is Morgenland (now mainly poetic), which literally translates as «morning land». The antonym «Abendland» (rarely: «Okzident») is also mainly poetic, and refers to (Western) Europe.^{[citation needed]}

See also[edit]

• Orientalizing Period of Archaic Greek art

Notes[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• [Ankerl, Guy] Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western (INUPRESS), Geneva, 2000. ISBN 2-88155-004-5
• Bitar, Amer (2020). Bedouin Visual Leadership in the Middle East: The Power of Aesthetics and Practical Implications. Springer Nature. ISBN 9783030573973.

External links[edit]

• The American Oriental Society
• Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa, formerly the Oriental Institute at University of Chicago
• On Asian and Oriental Model Minority posting by Alan Hu.
• The Critic in the Orient by George Hamlin Fitch
• German Orient Gate
• What’s the Matter with Saying the Orient? by Christopher Hill for «About Japan: A Teacher’s Resource»

Recent Examples on the Web

The New Venture Fund is set up to focus on more traditional nonprofit work, while the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which has received $208 million from Wyss since 2016 is, oriented more explicitly toward the political arena.


—Brian Slodysko, ajc, 4 Apr. 2023




Turn-in response is crisp as the chassis takes a set and neatly orients itself over midcorner bumps, subtly telegraphing load transfers to your backside.


—Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, 2 Apr. 2023




The World Bank Group’s management incentives are still too oriented to lending approved by the board, not the outcomes of that lending, advice and assistance.


—Rachel Kyte, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2023




That housing, given current political pushes, will most likely be highly oriented toward the middle class.


—Remy Raisner, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023




And as for the charge that psychoanalysis isn’t results-oriented, try explaining that to the moneymakers, who seem to see a return on the investment.


—Joseph Bernstein, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2023




The parks are generally oriented along the north-south U.S. 101 highway corridor between Crescent City and Orick.


—Jill K. Robinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2023




The curved spine of the Oculus transportation hub in New York City’s World Trade Center complex is oriented to cast sunlight down the middle of its vast, white hall at 10:28 a.m. on September 11—marking the moment the second tower collapsed in 2001.


—Amanda Randone, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2023




And how he’s been oriented in his life.


—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2023

Artificial rotation of the intensity pattern by 180 deg caused beetles to orient in the opposite direction.


—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2014




So Robson made sure there was a prominent steady object to orient viewers.


—Gavin Edwards, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2022




There may be nothing more important than the ability to recognize personal and professional vulnerabilities and shortcomings, orient to learning and development, and access and leverage the knowledge and strengths of others as a force-multiplier.


—Alexander Stein, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022




At online conferences, saying your name before starting your talk helps orient participants who might be listening to the call without video.


—Anne Quito, Quartz, 25 Mar. 2022




At Pompeii, the soft robotic hands will need to grasp, move and orient fragments of varying sizes and weights with extreme care—and gather information about them in the process.


—Jen Pinkowski, Scientific American, 6 Dec. 2021




In another sense, our values orient and order our desires.


—Kathy Caprino, Forbes, 4 June 2021




Teach people to step back and observe, orient, decide, then act.


—Andrew Olsen, Forbes, 5 May 2021




The nature tours orient kids and adults to flora and fauna of the Lowcountry while educating them about conservation.


—Sucheta Rawal, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2021

Take some time each day to be still and orient to the present moment.


—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2023




The facts clearly show that founder and longtime CEO Marc Benioff has created more long-term shareholder value than any of the activist funds targeting him–and his strategic pivots to re-orient Salesforce appear to be taking the wind right out of the activists’ sails.


—Steven Tian, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2023




Just as maps are fictional interfaces designed to spatially orient the traveler, tabs are imaginary objects that allow users to navigate the contourless chaos of the dataplasm.


—Meghan O’gieblyn, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2023




Claire Williams, chief people officer at Ciphr, commented that the biggest stressors identified can be grouped into three key themes that orient around workload, company performance, and their team.


—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2023




There’s also the opportunity to breathe new life into your existing pieces: reframe artwork, re-orient rugs, move furniture and paint or reupholster buffets, hutches and chairs.


—Alyssa Gautieri, Good Housekeeping, 9 Dec. 2022




This is still an important aspect, but the newer focus is now on taking additional steps to not only observe or orient, but being able to track and predict the trajectory of any phenomenon.


—Kathleen Walch, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2021




It’s time we re-orient goals or OKRs to align with this new thinking around best people practices and to create an aligned sense of purpose across the entire organization.


—Beth Thornton, Forbes, 21 June 2021




Across the country, and in many parts of the globe, those who did not have to be on-site somewhere used their extra time without the commute and travel to re-orient, re-engage, and re-focus on themselves.


—David Rock, Forbes, 2 June 2021


See More

English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

The noun is derived from Middle English orient, oriente, oryent, oryente, oryentte (“the east direction; eastern horizon or sky; eastern regions of the world, Asia, Orient; eastern edge of the world”),^[1] borrowed from Anglo-Norman orient, oriente, and Old French orient (“east direction; Asia, Orient”) (modern French orient), or directly from its etymon Latin oriēns (“the east; daybreak, dawn; sunrise; (participle) rising; appearing; originating”), present active participle of orior (“to get up, rise; to appear, become visible; to be born, come to exist, originate”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- (“to move, stir; to rise, spring”).^[2]

The adjective is derived from Middle English orient (“eastern; from Asia or the Orient; brilliant, shining (characteristic of jewels from the Orient)”), from Middle English orient (noun); see above.^[3]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.ɹɪ.ənt/, /ˈɒɹ.ɪ.ənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹ.i.ənt/
• Hyphenation: or‧i‧ent

Proper noun[edit]

orient

1. Usually preceded by the: alternative letter-case form of Orient (“a region or a part of the world to the east of a certain place; countries of Asia, the East (especially East Asia)”) [from 14th c.]

   Antonym: occident

   • c. 1596–1599, William Shakespeare, “King Henry IV. Part II.”, in The Plays of William Shakespeare, volume IX, London: Printed for T[homas] Longman [et al.], published 1793, →OCLC, Act I, induction [prologue], page 6:

     I, from the orient to the drooping weſt, / Making the wind my poſthorſe, ſtill unfold / The acts commenced on this ball of earth: […]

   • 1834, “St. Basil’s Homily on Paradise”, in Hugh Stuart Boyd, transl., The Fathers not Papists: Or, Six Discourses by the Most Eloquent Fathers of the Church: […] Translated from the Greek, new edition, London: Samuel Bagster, […]; Sidmouth, Devon: John Harvey, →OCLC, page 70:

     God planted Paradise in Eden, in the orients; and placed there the man whom he had formed.

   • 1855, Bayard Taylor, “Proem Dedicatory. An Epistle from Mount Tmolus.”, in Poems of the Orient, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, stanza IV, pages 10–11:

     I pitch my tent upon the naked sands, / And the tall palm, that plumes the orient lands, / Can with its beauty satisfy my heart.

Noun[edit]

orient (plural orients)

1. The part of the horizon where the sun first appears in the morning; the east.
2. (obsolete) A pearl originating from the Indian region, reputed to be of great brilliance; (by extension) any pearl of particular beauty and value. [19th c.]

   • 1825, James Anthony Froude, quoting Thomas Carlyle, “a.d. 1825. æt. 30.”, in Thomas Carlyle: A History of the First Forty Years of His Life, 1795–1835 […] Two Volumes in One (Harper’s Franklin Square Library; nos. 245 and 246), volume I, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], published 1882, →OCLC, page 174:

     The chambers of the East are opened in every land, and the sun comes forth to sow the earth with orient pearl.

   • 1831, Thomas Carlyle, “Editorial Difficulties”, in Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book first, page 5:

     It is indeed an ‘extensive Volume,’ of boundless, almost formless contents, a very Sea of Thought; neither calm nor clear, if you will; yet wherein the toughest pearl-diver may dive to his utmost depth, and return not only with sea-wreck but with true orients.
3. (by extension) The brilliance or colour of a high-quality pearl.

Adjective[edit]

orient (not comparable)

1. (dated, poetic, also figuratively) Rising, like the morning sun.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 175–176:

     Moon, that now meetſt the orient sun, now fli’ſt / With the fixt Starrs, fixt in thir Orb that flies, […]

2. (dated, poetic) Of the colour of the sky at daybreak; bright in colour, from red to yellow.

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 278:

     Then, I do so like the one or two principal walks, neatly edged with box, cut with most precise regularity, keeping guard over favourite plants:—columbines, bending on their slender stems; rose-bushes, covered with buds enough to furnish roses for months; pinks, with their dark eyes; and the orient glow of the marigold.

   Synonym: Orient red

3. (obsolete except poetic) Of, facing, or located in the east; eastern, oriental.

   Antonym: occidental

   • 1527, Robert Thorne, “The Booke Made by the Right Worshipfull Master Robert Thorne in the Yeere 1527. in Siuill to Doctourley, Lorde Ambassadour for King Henrie the Eight to Charles the Emperour [Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor], being an Information of the Parts of the World, Discouered by Him and the King of Portingale: And also of the Way to the Moluccaes by the North”, in R[ichard] H[akluyt], compiler, Divers Voyages Touching the Discouerie of America, and the Ilands adiacent vnto the Same, […], imprinted at London: [By Thomas Dawson] for Thomas VVoodcocke, […], published 1582, →OCLC:

     To ſhewe that though this figure of the worlde in playne or flat ſeemeth to haue an ende, yet one imagining that this ſayde carde were ſet vpon a round thing, where the endes ſhoulde touche by the lines, it would plainely appeare howe the Orient part ioyneth with the Occident, as there without the lines it is deſcribed & figured.

4. (obsolete except poetic) Of a pearl or other gem: of great brilliance and value; (by extension) bright, lustrous.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:shining

   • 1580, R[ichard] H[akluyt], compiler, “Notes in Writing besides More Priuie by Mouth that were Giuen by a Gentleman, Anno. 1580. to M. Arthure Pette and to M. Charles Iackman, Sent by the Marchants of the Muscouie Companie for the Discouerie of the Northeast Strayte,”, in Divers Voyages Touching the Discouerie of America, and the Ilands adiacent vnto the Same, […], imprinted at London: [By Thomas Dawson] for Thomas VVoodcocke, […], published 1582, →OCLC:

     Thinges to be carried with you, whereof more or leſſe is to be caried for a ſhewe of our commodities to bee made. Kerſies of all orient coulours, ſpecially of ſtamel [a fine worsted], brodecloth of orient colours alſo.

   • 1589, Ralph Lane, “An Account of the Peculiarities of the Imployments of the English Men Left in Virginia by Sir Richard Greeneuill vnder the Charge of Master Ralfe Lane General of the same, from the 17. of August, 1585, vntill the 18. of Iune 1586, at which Time They Departed the Countrie: […]”, in Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, […], London: […] George Bishop and Ralph Newberie, deputies to Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC, 1st part (Declaring the Particularities of the Countrey of Virginia), page 739:

     […] He gaue me a rope of the ſame Pearle, but they were blacke, and naught, yet many of them were very great, and a fewe amongſt a number very orient and round, […]

   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], page 198, column 1:

     The liquid drops of Teares that you have ſhed,
     Shall come againe, transform’d to Orient Pearle, […]

   • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], H[enry] Lawes, editor, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 3:

     And in thick ſhelter of black ſhades imbowr’d / Excells his Mother at her mightie Art / Offring to every wearie Travailer / His [Comus’s] orient liquor in a Chryſtall glaſſe / To quench the drouth of Phœbus, […]

   • a. 1667, Jeremy Taylor, “Sermon XVI. [The House of Feasting: Or The Epicures Measures.] Part III.”, in ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [ENIAUTOS]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 4th enlarged edition, London: Printed by R[oger] Norton for R[ichard] Royston, […], published 1673, →OCLC, page 154:

     It is neceſſary to ſome men to have garments made of the Calabrian fleece, ſtain’d with the bloud of the murex, and to get money to buy pearls round and orient; […] well may a ſober man wonder that men ſhould be ſo much in love with Earth and Corruption, the Parent of rottenneſs and a diſeaſe, […]

   • a. 1679, Andrew Marvell, “The Match”, in The Works of Andrew Marvell, Esq.: Poetical, Controversial, and Political, […] In Three Volumes, volume III, London: Printed for the editor, by Henry Baldwin, and sold by [Robert] Dodsley [et al.], published 1776, →OCLC, stanza II, page 269:

     Her orienteſt colours there,
     And eſſences moſt pure,
     With ſweeteſt perfumes hoarded were,
     All, as ſhe thought, ſecure.

   • c. 1806–1809 (date written), William Wordsworth, “Book the Fourth. Despondency Corrected.”, in The Excursion, being a Portion of The Recluse, a Poem, London: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […], published 1814, →OCLC, page 166:

     […] books are your’s, / Within whose silent chambers treasure lies / Preserved from age to age; more precious far / Than that accumulated store of gold / And orient gems, which for a day of need / The Sultan hides within ancestral tombs.

Etymology 2[edit]

The verb is derived from French orienter (“to orientate; to guide; to set to north”) from French orient (noun) (see above) + -er (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs).^[4]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.ɹɪˌɛnt/, /ˈɒɹ.ɪˌɛnt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹ.iˌɛnt/
• Hyphenation: or‧i‧ent

Verb[edit]

orient (third-person singular simple present orients, present participle orienting, simple past and past participle oriented) (often US)

1. (transitive) To build or place (something) so as to face eastward.

   • 1868 August 25, George Rolleston, “On the Modes of Sepulture Observable in Late Romano-British and Early Anglo-Saxon Times in This Country”, in International Congress of Prehistoric Archæology: Transactions of the Third Session […], London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1869, →OCLC, pages 176–177:

     The first kind of interment was that of leaden coffins, rectangular in shape, covered with a lid, occupying deeper graves than any of the other interments, more or less accurately oriented, sometimes containing coins, as of the Emperor Gratian (ob. 383), and sometimes not. […] The second type of interment, also of Romans or Romanised Britons, resembled the first in being more or less perfectly oriented, the orientation varying, probably according as it had taken place in summer or in winter, from E.N.E. to E.S.E. over about 45°; […]

2. (transitive, by extension) To align or place (a person or object) so that his, her, or its east side, north side, etc., is positioned toward the corresponding points of the compass; (specifically, surveying) to rotate (a map attached to a plane table) until the line of direction between any two of its points is parallel to the corresponding direction in nature.

   Synonym: (commonly Britain) orientate

   • 1855, W. M. Gillespie, “Part VIII. Plane Table Surveying.”, in A Treatise on Land-surveying: […], New York, N.Y.; London: D. Appleton & Co., […], →OCLC, paragraph 456 (To Orient the Table), page 309:

     Without a compass the table is oriented, when set at one end of a line previously determined, by sighting back on this line, […]. To orient the table, when at a station unconnected with others, is more difficult.

   • 1963, Karl E. Moessner, Accuracy of Ground Point Location from Aerial Photographs (U.S. Forest Service Research Note; INT-5), Ogden, Ut.: Intermountain Forest & Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, →OCLC, page 4:

     He orients his photo-scale protractor over the intersection of the base line and compass line extended, by means of the bearing of base line AB (S. 32° W.) and reads bearing of compass line RP to 7 (N. 80° W.).

3. (transitive) To direct towards or point at a particular direction.

   Synonym: (commonly Britain) orientate

   The workers oriented all the signs to face the road.

   • 1931 December 1, C[harles] G. Weber; F[rederick] T. Carson; L[eo] W[illiam] Snyder, “Properties Studied and Test Methods Used”, in Properties of Fiber Building Boards (Miscellaneous Publication, Bureau of Standards; no. 132), Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, section 3 (Insulating Values), page 13:

     The present methods of manufacture of fiber boards tend to orient the fibers so that they are most effective for insulation.

   • 1963 November, M. E. Whitten; L. A. Baumann, “Theory of Dielectric Constant Measurements”, in Evaluation of a Rapid Method of Determining Oil Content of Soybeans (United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin; no. 1296), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 7:

     When a substance is placed in an electric field, the molecules tend to orient themselves in a definite pattern with respect to the direction of the field. The dielectric constant of the material can, for simplicity, be defined as a measure of the degree to which the individual particles are oriented or the material polarized.

   • 2007 November, Gil Schwartz, “Escape from the job monster”, in Men’s Health, volume 22, number 9, →ISSN, page 122:

     The goal is to draw on reservoirs of strength that defy rational thought, so you can wrench your poor, obsessed spirit away from work and orient it toward stuff that matters.

4. (transitive, reflexive) To determine which direction one is facing.

   Let me just orient myself and we can be on our way.

   • 1850, Horace Mann, A Few Thoughts for a Young Man: A Lecture, Delivered before the Boston Mercantile Library Association, on Its 29th Anniversary, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC, page 84:

     All around your spirit, the universe lies open and free, and you can go where you will. Orient yourself! Orient yourself! […] [S]tudy and obey the sublime laws on which the frame of nature was constructed; study and obey the sublimer laws on which the soul of man was formed; and the fulness of the power and the wisdom and the blessedness, with which God has filled and lighted up this resplendent universe, shall all be yours!

   • 1879 March, James French, “The Great Pyramid in Connection with the Pleiades; or, The Last Anniversary of the Great Year of the Pleiades. When, How, and Why Celebrated.”, in Kansas City Review of Science and Industry, a Monthly Record of Progress in Science, Mechanic Arts and Literature, volume II, number 12, Kansas City, Mo.: Journal of Commerce Printing and Publishing House, →OCLC, page 758:

     The two stars, one at the Pole and the other at the Equator, were essential to both orienting and dating the structure. Hence the conclusion that the Great Pyramid could not have accomplished its design as a monumental witnessing pillar at any other time, and that the only time when the aid indispensable was possible was B.C. 2170.

5. (transitive, often reflexive, figuratively) To familiarize (oneself or someone) with a circumstance or situation.

   Synonym: (commonly Britain) orientate

   Antonyms: disorient, disorientate

   Give him time to orient himself within the new hierarchy.

   • 1913, G[eorge] R[obert] S[towe] Mead, “Vaihinger’s Philosophy of the ‘As If’”, in Quests Old and New, London: G[eorge] Bell & Sons, Ltd., →OCLC, page 257:

     Thus the thought-world is a symbol, or system of symbols, which serves the organic beings of the real world for orienting themselves in the world of actual being, and is the means whereby they translate the proceedings of this world into the language of the soul.

   • 1991 September, “Appendix B: Occupational Descriptions”, in Area Wage Survey: Charlotte—Gastonia—Rock Hill; North Carolina—South Carolina Metropolitan Area (Bulletin; 3060-27), [Washington, D.C.]: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, →OCLC, page 41:

     Computer Systems Analyst II […] Determines and resolves data processing problems and coordinates the work with program, users, etc.; orients user personnel on new or changed procedures.

   • 1996, Holly Alliger Ruff; Mary Klevjord Rothbart, Attention in Early Development: Themes and Variations, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 114:

     The first system of attention underlies orienting to and exploration of objects in the environment and is composed of at least two networks involved in orienting to locations in space and object recognition, respectively […].

6. (transitive, figuratively) To set the focus of (something) so as to appeal or relate to a certain group.

   We will orient our campaign to the youth who are often disinterested.

   • 1961, C. K. Yang [i.e., Ch’ing-k’un Yang], “Communal Aspects of Popular Cults”, in Religion in Chinese Society: A Study of Contemporary Social Functions of Religion and Some of Their Historical Factors, Berkeley; Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California Press, page 81:

     Whatever the occasion of the public religious observance, whether it was the holding of a temple fair, praying for rain, or celebrating a popular festival, religion came to serve as a symbol of common devotion in bringing people out of their divergent routines and orienting them toward community activities.

7. (intransitive) To change direction to face a certain way.

   • 1984 February, “Appendix T: Biological Opinion from National Marine Fisheries Service for Proposed Southern California Lease Offering, February 1984”, in EIS: Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Southern California Lease Offering, final volume 2, Los Angeles, Calif.: Prepared by the Minerals Management Service, Pacific OCS Region, published April 1984, →OCLC, page 8-239:

     Observation stations were established at vantage points along the coast to monitor gray whale responses to the sounds generated by the air gun array. […] At 3 miles some whales appeared to orient toward the sound.

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Orient on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams[edit]

• Ireton, iteron, norite, retino-, tonier, trione

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin oriens, orientem.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /o.ɾiˈent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /u.ɾiˈen/

Noun[edit]

orient m (plural orients)

1. Orient
2. east

   Synonym: est

   Antonyms: occident, oest

Derived terms[edit]

• Orient Mitjà
• orientar

[edit]

• oriental

Further reading[edit]

• “orient” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “orient”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “orient” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “orient” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French[edit]

Noun[edit]

orient m (plural orients)

1. Alternative letter-case form of Orient

References[edit]

• “orient”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French[edit]

Noun[edit]

orient m (nominative singular orienz or orientz)

1. Alternative form of oriant

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French orient, Latin oriens, orientem.

Noun[edit]

orient n (uncountable)

1. east, Orient

Declension[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

• est (standard), răsărit (somewhat uncommon today)

[edit]

• oriental

Полезное

American commentators continue to object to orientate (used more frequently by the British), mainly because orient is shorter but also because the figurative use is outstripping the literal one. ❋ Unknown (2009)

And after Rabanus, these four be signified by the four parts of the world, by the orient, that is east, the apostles; by the south, the martyrs; by the north, the confessors; and by the west, the virgins. ❋ 1230-1298 (1900)

Google: one would have to compare the verb in an unabmbiguous phrase; «orient» without any qualification will mostly be the noun. ❋ DC (2010)

“Delicious” is not a typical Korean family name, but I changed my name to protect the innocent from shame by association, and when it comes down to evidence of race, religion, ethnicity or sexual asianation some yellow folks are offended by «orient«, it has nothing to do with my birth certificate. ❋ Unknown (2007)

BROWN: Just to help our viewers kind of orient themselves, you were on the 65th floor of a building that is how many stories? ❋ Unknown (2001)

The committee, which visited reform schools, schools of industry and places of safety, said isolation cells were widely used as punishment, and were also used to «orient» new children at some institutions. ❋ Unknown (1996)

In using concepts of his own to discredit the theoretic claims of concepts generally, Bergson does not contradict, but on the contrary emphatically illustrates his own view of their practical role, for they serve in his hands only to ‘orient‘ us, to show us to what quarter we must _practically turn_ if we wish to gain that completer insight into reality which he denies that they can give. ❋ William James (1876)

Such strong native sense had they, such innate refinement and courtesythe product, it used to be said, of plain living and high thinking — that, ignorant as they might be of civic ways, they would, upon being introduced to them, need only a brief space of time to «orient» themselves to the new circumstances. ❋ Charles Dudley Warner (1864)

I think western media especially German which i have to suffer here;; almost always stumble when covering news from the mideast,,, still stuck in the orientalist way of thinking and whether deliberately or not they perpetuate the idea of a virtual line between ‘orient‘ and ❋ Unknown (2009)

The word «orient,» when used as a verb, means to align ourselves, or to get our bearings. ❋ Unknown (2009)

«orient» of the cultured pearl is never equal to that of a fine true pearl. ❋ Frank Bertram Wade (N/A)

This use of «orient» does have a kind of eurocentric vibe, but unless something is patently offensive, the puzzle is not apt (INAPT? ❋ Unknown (2009)

Finally, we’re providing webinars as another resource to help orient yourself in the new interface. ❋ Unknown (2009)

You place the hole over the tick and orient the key so the mouth parts catch in the notch, then you gentle pull and remove the tick head and all. ❋ Unknown (2009)

The authors predict that instead of pulling out of China, most multinational companies will orient more of their production to serve China and the rest of a growing Asia… ❋ Michele Nash-Hoff (2011)

To better orient both residents and fellows during their time at CHOP, each fellow, resident and student will receive an updated copy of the “Resident/Fellow Handbook.” ❋ Unknown (2010)

[Turn] [the map] over and orient it toward that [landmark]. ❋ CanberraDan (2008)

[i’m looking] for a [thai] restaurant. is there an orienteer [in the house]? ❋ Lexicali Slim (2009)

Annoying [used car] [huckster] in [Phoenix], heard recently on the radio: «We’re customer orientated…» ❋ Workinglate (2006)

I’m [going] orienteering [today]. ❋ K90 (2007)

[Orientalism] is [historically] an expression of the [curiosity] of an imperialistic mindset, though this is becoming less so. ❋ LudwigVan (2003)

Correct usage: There’s an [Oriental rug] store on Derbe Drive.
or
Are you going to the [Oriental] market?
Incorrect usage: Is that dude [oriental]?
or
Orientals are known to be [bad drivers]. ❋ Sean-Paul (2003)

I went to orientation to become [orientated].
I’m not redneck-orientated. I know how to speak English.
Everytime I hear the word «[Orientated]» I want to cringe. It’s as bad as hearing the word «ain’t» or «[warsh].» ❋ MadamexXx (2009)

1. «Oriental» is a term generally applied to the «race»/ethnicities that inhabit the region from [Myanmar] (formerly [Burma]) all the way to Korea and Japan. It’s a term referring to geography («East») and is not an offensive or slur word. Some politically correct people in America think it is but I’ve known some Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese and others from [the Orient] in college and they do not find the word to be offensive at all.
2. There are groceries and restaurants that specialize in [East Asian] food. Many of them use the word «Oriental» on their signs, so apparently they don’t see that word as a racial slam, do they?
3. [Rugs] made in Iran or India are still called «Oriental [rugs]». They are nice, huge, heavy and expensive.
4. There’s been an Oriental presence and influence in America for a long time. There are Chinatowns, [Japanese-American] communities, Vietnamese neighborhoods and Korean neighborhoods on the West Coast states (especially California) and they have been in America for over [160] years. Like all ethnic groups here they have played an important role in making the U.S.A. the great nation that it is today.
5. Also in the Pacific West coast states the Native American peoples have oral traditions detailing of contact with Oriental people long ago. The [travellers] were probably Chinese, Japanese and others. Relations with those visitors were pretty good.
6. Oriental nations have given the world many contribution in the fields of sciences, arts, military strategy, medicine and more. ❋ I Saw U2 Live Twice (2009)

UK Person: Look at those Oriental people over there.
US Person: You shouldn’t call them Oriental. You should call them Asian.
UK Person: But they’re Japanese. They aren’t Indian. They’re Oriental.
US Person: [Rugs] are Oriental. People are not.
UK Person: YOU are a [rug]. Learn more about the English language outside of [your stupid] country. ❋ Kijsjaan08 (2008)

The [honky] suffers from [Orientalism]. ❋ Ding Dong (2004)