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the occident

 - 3 dictionary results

Oc⋅ci⋅dent

  [ok-si-duhnt]
Use the occident in a Sentence
–noun
1. the Occident,
a. the West; the countries of Europe and America.
b. Western Hemisphere.
2. (lowercase) the west; the western regions.
Origin:
ME < MF < L occident- (s. of occidēns) prp. of occidere to fall, (of the sun) to set, equiv. to oc- oc- + cid- (comb. form of cadere to fall) + -ent- -ent
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

The Occident

Term referring originally to Europe but now including North America and South America as well. Occident means “the West,” as opposed to Orient, “the East.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

occident 
c.1375, from O.Fr. occident (12c.), from L. occidentem (nom. occidens) "western sky, part of the sky in which the sun sets," originally "setting" (adj.), prp. of occidere "fall down, go down" (see occasion).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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