orient

[awr-ee-uhnt, ‑ee-ent, ohr-, awr-ee-ent, ohr‑]

noun

1. Older Use.,  the Orient,

   1. the countries of Asia, especially East Asia.

   2. (formerly) the countries to the east of the Mediterranean.

2. Jewelry.

   1. an orient pearl.

   2. the iridescence of a pearl.

3. the east; the eastern region of the heavens or the world.

verb (used with object)

1. to adjust with relation to, or bring into due relation to surroundings, circumstances, facts, etc.

2. to familiarize (a person) with new surroundings or circumstances, or the like.

   lectures designed to orient the new students.

   Synonyms: relate, accustom

3. to place in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass or other locations.

   to orient a building north and south.

4. to direct or position toward a particular object.

   Orient it toward that house.

5. to determine the position of in relation to the points of the compass; get the bearings of.

6. to place so as to face the east, especially to build (a church) with the chief altar to the east and the chief entrance to the west.

7. Surveying.,  to set (the horizontal circle of a surveying instrument) so that readings give correct azimuths.

8. Mathematics.,  to assign to (a surface) a constant, outward direction at each point.

verb (used without object)

1. to turn toward the east or in any specified direction.

adjective

1. (of a gem or pearl) exceptionally fine and lustrous; oriental.

2. Archaic.,  rising or appearing, especially as from below the horizon.

   the orient sun.

orient

¹

noun

1. poetic,  another word for east Compare occident

2. archaic,  the eastern sky or the dawn

3. 1. the iridescent lustre of a pearl

   2. ( as modifier )

      orient pearls

4. a pearl of high quality

adjective

1. poetic,  eastern

2. archaic,  (of the sun, stars, etc) rising

verb

1. to adjust or align (oneself or something else) according to surroundings or circumstances

2. (tr) to position, align, or set (a map, surveying instrument, etc) with reference to the points of the compass or other specific directions

3. (tr) to set or build (a church) in an easterly direction

Orient

²

/ ˈɔːrɪənt /

noun

1. the countries east of the Mediterranean

2. the eastern hemisphere

Other Word Forms

• orienter noun
• self-oriented adjective
• well-oriented adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of orient¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin orient- (stem of oriēns ) “the east, sunrise,” noun use of present participle of orīrī “to rise”; -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of orient¹

C18: via French from Latin oriēns rising (sun), from orīrī to rise

Example Sentences

In this case, the constructing country derived the greatest benefit from the canal, which “marked the emergence of a muscular and globally oriented United States.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Many thought they had found entrepreneurial soulmates, more oriented to the free market than their more regulated partners in the EU.

Read more on BBC

A 2021 meta-analysis of the impact of videogames found that some games have educational benefits, but heavy gaming can also “lead to addiction and impair ability to focus on effortful goal oriented behavior.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Asset manager T. Rowe Price said at the time that even long-term oriented investors benefit from quarterly reports, “because these short-term progress reports increase our confidence in our ability to predict the company’s long-range outcome.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Even the pin light of a cell phone charger gives us something to orient ourselves against, a way to make sense of where we are.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• adapt 
• adjust 
• align 
• conform