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orient

[noun, adjective awr-ee-uhnt, ‐ee-ent, ohr-; verb awr-ee-ent, ohr‐]
noun
  1. the Orient,
    1. the countries of Asia, especially East Asia.
    2. (formerly) the countries to the E 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.
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verb (used with object) Also especially British, orientate.
  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.
  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.
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verb (used without object) Also especially British, orientate.
  1. to turn toward the east or in any specified direction.
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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.
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Origin of orient

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”; see -ent
Related formso·ri·ent·er, nounself-o·ri·ent·ed, adjectivewell-o·ri·ent·ed, adjective

Synonyms

5. accustom, relate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

conform, align, adjust, adapt, locate, direct, acclimatize, turn, determine, orientate

Examples from the Web for orienting

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.

    Anything You Can Do ...

    Gordon Randall Garrett

  • He stood for a moment, orienting himself with the tower the center of his calculations.

  • Orienting himself he found he was gripping a brace of the open-mounted motor on one of the Waste Disposal Cylinders.

    Far from Home

    J.A. Taylor

  • More trivial systems, like those used in orienting troops in the desert, are a matter of routine.

  • A sketcher at an unknown point may locate himself from two visible known points by setting up and orienting his sketching board.

British Dictionary definitions for orienting

Orient

noun the Orient
  1. the countries east of the Mediterranean
  2. the eastern hemisphere
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orient

noun (ˈɔːrɪənt)
  1. poetic another word for east Compare occident
  2. archaic the eastern sky or the dawn
    1. the iridescent lustre of a pearl
    2. (as modifier)orient pearls
  4. a pearl of high quality
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adjective (ˈɔːrɪənt)
  1. mainly poetic eastern
  2. archaic (of the sun, stars, etc) rising
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verb (ˈɔːrɪˌɛnt)
  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
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Word Origin

C18: via French from Latin oriēns rising (sun), from orīrī to rise
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for orienting

Orient

n.

c.1300, "the East" (originally usually meaning what is now called the Middle East), from Old French orient "east" (11c.), from Latin orientem (nominative oriens) "the rising sun, the east, part of the sky where the sun rises," originally "rising" (adj.), present participle of oriri "to rise" (see orchestra). The Orient Express was a train that ran from Paris to Istanbul via Vienna 1883-1961, from the start associated with espionage and intrigue.

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orient

v.

c.1727, originally "to arrange facing east," from French s'orienter "to take one's bearings," literally "to face the east" (also the source of German orientierung), from Old French orient "east," from Latin orientum (see Orient (n.)). Extended meaning "determine bearings" first attested 1842; figurative sense is from 1850. Related: Oriented; orienting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
orienting in Medicine

orient

(ôr′ē-ənt, -ĕnt′)
v.
  1. To locate or place in a particular relation to the points of the compass.
  2. To align or position with respect to a point or system of reference.
  3. To make familiar with or adjusted to facts, principles, or a situation.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.