Orientate
/ˈɔː.ri.ən.teɪt/noun
To position or align something in a particular direction; also, in British English, to familiarize someone with a new environment.
Did you know?Its root is the same one behind “orient,” originally tied to the place where the sun rises, which is why “orientation” once carried a powerful sense of being set in relation to the dawn.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
oriens
“the rising sun; the east”
Late Latin
Latin
orientare
“to place toward the east, to turn eastward”
Middle French
Old French
orienter
“to orient, to determine direction”
17th Century
English
orient
“to position or adjust with reference to the east or a known direction”
19th Century
English
orientate
“to orient or set in a direction, especially in British English”
Explore more surprising origins