To Orient Yourself Was to Face East
Orient means the east, and to orient is to establish position. Medieval maps put east at the top, and the word records it.
The Orient is the east, and to orient something is to position it correctly. The link is cartographic: medieval European maps placed east at the top, towards Jerusalem, so aligning a map meant turning it eastward. The Latin *oriens* means rising, from the sun, and *occident* — the west — means setting.
- The east. *The Orient.*
- To establish position. *Orient yourself.*
- Orientate — the British variant. *Orientate the map.*
- Occident — the west. *The Occident.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Orient | The Far Orient. |
| Verb | orient | Orient the plan. |
| Variant | orientate | Orientate yourself. |
| Noun | orientation | Induction and orientation. |
| Opposite | occident | The Occident. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Medieval maps put east at the top.Which is why orienting means aligning.
- Orient means rising.From the sun.
- Orientalism describes a way of representing the East.Edward Said's term.
Direction words from the sun
- Orient — rising, the east
- Occident — setting, the west
- Levant — from French for rising, the eastern Mediterranean
- Anatolia — from Greek for sunrise
- Japan — from a Chinese phrase meaning origin of the sun
From Latin *oriens*, rising, the present participle of *oriri*, to rise — the same root as *origin*.
Orient or orientate?
Both are correct. Orient is standard in America and common in Britain; orientate is more frequent in British English.
Why did maps face east?
Medieval Christian maps placed east at the top, towards Jerusalem and the rising sun, which is why aligning a map is called orienting it.