Nearby Words

oriental

[awr-ee-en-tl, ohr‐] Example Sentences Origin

o·ri·en·tal

[awr-ee-en-tl, ohr‐]
adjective
1.
(usually initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Orient, or East; Eastern.
2.
of the orient or east; eastern.
3.
(initial capital letter) Zoogeography. belonging to a geographical division comprising southern Asia and the Malay Archipelago as far as and including the Philippines, Borneo, and Java.
4.
Jewelry.
a.
(usually initial capital letter) designating various gems that are varieties of corundum: Oriental aquamarine; Oriental ruby.
b.
fine or precious; orient: oriental agate; oriental garnet.
c.
designating certain natural saltwater pearls found especially in the Orient.
noun
5.
(usually initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of the Orient.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Oriental is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin orientālis = orient- the east (see orient) + -ālis -al1

o·ri·en·tal·ly, adverb
an·ti-O·ri·en·tal, adjective, noun
half-o·ri·en·tal, adjective
non·o·ri·en·tal, adjective, noun
pro-O·ri·en·tal, adjective, noun
EXPAND
pseu·do·o·ri·en·tal, adjective
pseu·do·o·ri·en·tal·ly, adverb
qua·si-o·ri·en·tal, adjective
qua·si-o·ri·en·tal·ly, adverb
sem·i·o·ri·en·tal, adjective
sem·i·o·ri·en·tal·ly, adverb
un·o·ri·en·tal, adjective
un·o·ri·en·tal·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE

Asian, Asiatic, oriental.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To oriental
Example Sentences
  • The oriental values are really something to be appreciated.
  • Oriental apparition, the extraordinary bubble eye wears marble-size, fluid-filled.
  • They're in a setting of an oriental harem, in a large oval room with divans and a lot of cushions around the walls.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
oriental (ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl)
 
adj
another word for eastern Compare occidental

Oriental (ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl)
 
adj
1.  (sometimes not capital) of or relating to the Orient
2.  of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of southeastern Asia from India to Borneo, Java, and the Philippines
 
n
3.  a breed of slender muscular cat with large ears, long legs, and a long tail
4.  (sometimes not capital) an inhabitant, esp a native, of the Orient

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

oriental
late 14c., from O.Fr. oriental (12c.), from L. orientalis "of the east," from orientem (see Orient (n.)). Originally in reference to the sky, geographical sense is attested from late 15c.; oriental carpet first recorded 1868 (in C.L. Eastlake). The noun meaning "native or
EXPAND
inhabitant of the east" is from 1701.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature