Orientalize
/ˌɔːriˈɛn.tə.laɪz/noun
To make something appear Eastern in style, character, or association.
Did you know?Its root goes back to Latin *oriens*, “rising,” the same source as *orient* and *orientation*, so the word originally pointed toward the sunrise before it became a modern verb of styling or depicting.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂er-
“to rise, move upward”
Latin
Latin
oriens
“the rising sun; the east”
Late Latin
Latin
orientālis
“eastern, of the east”
Middle French
Old French
oriental
“eastern; from the East”
18th Century
English
orientalize
“to make or describe as Oriental or Eastern in character”
Modern English
English
orientalize
“to give an Eastern appearance, style, or character to something”
Explore more surprising origins