orient

[ noun, adjective awr-ee-uhnt, ‐ee-ent, ohr-; verb awr-ee-ent, ohr‐ ]

/ noun, adjective ˈɔr i ənt, ‐iˌɛnt, ˈoʊr-; verb ˈɔr iˌɛnt, ˈoʊr‐ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR orient ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the Orient,

the countries of Asia, especially East Asia.
(formerly) the countries to the E of the Mediterranean.

Jewelry.

an orient pearl.
the iridescence of a pearl.

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

verb (used with object) Also especially British, orientate.

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

to familiarize (a person) with new surroundings or circumstances, or the like: lectures designed to orient the new students.

to place in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass or other locations: to orient a building north and south.

to direct or position toward a particular object: Orient it toward that house.

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

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.

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

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

verb (used without object) Also especially British, orientate.

to turn toward the east or in any specified direction.

adjective

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

Archaic. rising or appearing, especially as from below the horizon: the orient sun.

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

SYNONYMS FOR orient

5 accustom, relate.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR orient ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM orient

o·ri·ent·er, noun self-o·ri·ent·ed, adjective well-o·ri·ent·ed, adjective

Words nearby orient

orgy, oribi, orichalcum, oriel, oriel window, orient, orient express, oriental, oriental alabaster, oriental almandine, oriental beetle

Example sentences from the Web for orient

The myth of the Orient, and the Orient Express, both facilitated and quelled illusions about foreign cultures.

All Aboard the Orient Express: Looking Back at the Golden Age of Train Travel |Sarah Moroz |April 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Inversely, of course, figures from the Orient travelled the other way to discover Europe.

All Aboard the Orient Express: Looking Back at the Golden Age of Train Travel |Sarah Moroz |April 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The Orient Express is, in many senses, an early example of budding globalism.

All Aboard the Orient Express: Looking Back at the Golden Age of Train Travel |Sarah Moroz |April 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Next morning Alcide packed my valise, and leaving him in charge of my apartments I took the Orient express for Constantinople.

Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show |Robert W. Chambers |February 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

So neither polling nor political theory can transfigure the human heart or orient our minds toward the brotherhood of man?

Dear Frank Luntz: Here’s How to Be Happy Again |James Poulos |January 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
There would not be another sailing for the Orient for ten days.

The Honorable Percival |Alice Hegan Rice
To the westward flowed the stream of doctrines which sprang up in the Orient.

Peter the Hermit |Daniel A. Goodsell
When we send a man out to the Orient to be our manager there, we have to trust him all the way or not at all.

The Go-Getter |Peter B. Kyne
He beheld Fancy hanging on his arm, gazing upward into a bronzed, devil-may-care face, listening to strange tales of the Orient.

The Soul of Susan Yellam |Horace Annesley Vachell
By ten o'clock five of the French van had surrendered, and the great hundred-and-twenty-gun ship, the Orient, was in flames.

At Aboukir and Acre |George Alfred Henty

British Dictionary definitions for orient (1 of 2)

orient

noun (ˈɔːrɪənt)

poetic another word for east Compare occident

archaic the eastern sky or the dawn

the iridescent lustre of a pearl
(as modifier)orient pearls

a pearl of high quality

adjective (ˈɔːrɪənt)

mainly poetic eastern

archaic (of the sun, stars, etc) rising

verb (ˈɔːrɪˌɛnt)

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

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

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

Word Origin for orient

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

British Dictionary definitions for orient (2 of 2)

Orient

/ (ˈɔːrɪənt) /

noun the Orient

the countries east of the Mediterranean

the eastern hemisphere

Medical definitions for orient

orient

[ ôr′ē-ənt, -ĕnt′ ]

v.

To locate or place in a particular relation to the points of the compass.

To align or position with respect to a point or system of reference.

To make familiar with or adjusted to facts, principles, or a situation.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

orient

noun

verb (used with object) Also especially British, orientate.

verb (used without object) Also especially British, orientate.

adjective

Origin of orient

SYNONYMS FOR orient

OTHER WORDS FROM orient

Words nearby orient

Example sentences from the Web for orient

British Dictionary definitions for orient (1 of 2)

noun (ˈɔːrɪənt)

adjective (ˈɔːrɪənt)

verb (ˈɔːrɪˌɛnt)

Word Origin for orient

British Dictionary definitions for orient (2 of 2)

noun the Orient

Medical definitions for orient

v.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

orient

noun

verb (used with object) Also especially British, orientate.

verb (used without object) Also especially British, orientate.

adjective

Origin of orient

SYNONYMS FOR orient

OTHER WORDS FROM orient

Words nearby orient

Words related to orient

Example sentences from the Web for orient

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for orient (1 of 2)

noun (ˈɔːrɪənt)

adjective (ˈɔːrɪənt)

verb (ˈɔːrɪˌɛnt)

Word Origin for orient

British Dictionary definitions for orient (2 of 2)

noun the Orient

Medical definitions for orient

v.

British Dictionary definitions for orient (1 of 2)