Oriental

See also: oriental

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman oriental, Middle French oriental, from Latin orientālis (“eastern”), from oriēns (“rising (of the Sun)”), present active participle of orior (“I rise”)

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɔːɹiˈɛntl̩/, /ɒɹiˈɛntl̩/

Adjective

Oriental (comparative more Oriental, superlative most Oriental)

  1. Of a pearl or other precious stone: having a superior lustre. [from 14th c.]
  2. (astronomy, astrology) Pertaining to the eastern part of the sky; happening before sunrise. [from 14th c.]
  3. (obsolete) Happening in the eastern part of a given place or location. [15th-18th c.]
  4. Pertaining to the the regions east of the Mediterranean, beyond the Roman Empire or the early Christian world; of the Near East, the Middle East or the Far East, now especially relating to East Asia. [from 15th c.]
  5. Designating various types of aromatic tobacco grown in Turkey and the Balkans. [from 19th c.]

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

Oriental (plural Orientals)

  1. A precious stone, especially an orient pearl. [from 14th c.]
  2. A member or descendant of the peoples and cultures of the Orient. [from 15th c.]
  3. A lily cultivar of a widely varied group, with strong scent.

Usage notes

  • Use of the term Oriental to describe a person is considered dated and offensive in North America.

Synonyms

See Thesaurus:Asian

Translations

See also

Anagrams

Dutch

Noun

Oriental m (plural Orientals)

  1. An Oriental lily
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