orientation

American  

[awr-ee-uhn-tey-shuhn, -en-, ohr-] / ˌɔr i ənˈteɪ ʃən, -ɛn-, ˌoʊr- /

noun

1. the act or process of orienting.

2. the state of being oriented.

3. an introduction, as to guide one in adjusting to new surroundings, employment, activity, or the like.

   New employees receive two days of orientation.

4. Psychology, Psychiatry. the ability to locate oneself in one's environment with reference to time, place, and people.

5. one's position in relation to true north, to points on the compass, or to a specific place or object.

6. the ascertainment of one's true position, as in a novel situation, with respect to attitudes, judgments, etc.

7. Chemistry.

   1. the relative positions of certain atoms or groups, especially in aromatic compounds.

   2. the determination of the position of substituted atoms or groups in a compound.

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orientation British  

/ ˌɔːrɪɛnˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of orienting or the state of being oriented

2. position or positioning with relation to the points of the compass or other specific directions

3. the adjustment or alignment of oneself or one's ideas to surroundings or circumstances

4. Also called: orientation course. 

   1. a course, programme, lecture, etc, introducing a new situation or environment

   2. ( as modifier )

      an orientation talk

5. psychol the knowledge of one's own temporal, social, and practical circumstances in life

6. basic beliefs or preferences

   sexual orientation

7. biology the change in position of the whole or part of an organism in response to a stimulus, such as light

8. chem the relative dispositions of atoms, ions, or groups in molecules or crystals

9. the siting of a church on an east-west axis, usually with the altar at the E end

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Other Word Forms

• nonorientation noun
• orientational adjective
• orientative adjective

Etymology

Origin of orientation

First recorded in 1830–40; orientate + -ion

Example Sentences

"By controlling their orientation and positioning, we can engineer the same plastic to break down over days, months or even years."

From Science Daily

In Geraci’s view, the orientation of some believers towards podcasts and other niche online communities is a key part of the rise of novel religious beliefs, including those that concern AI.

From Salon

Many of the galaxies in the thin strand appear to be rotating in the same direction as the filament itself, far more often than would be expected if their orientations were random.

From Science Daily

Those groups must be positioned with the correct orientation, or stereochemistry, relative to the rest of the molecule.

From Science Daily

Both socially awkward, Watson approached him sitting alone at orientation and said hello.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• direction
• location