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oriental

o·ri·en·tal
O o

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [awr-ee-en-tl, ohr‐]
    • /ˌɔr iˈɛn tl, ˌoʊr‐/
    • /ˈɔː.ri.ənt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [awr-ee-en-tl, ohr‐]
    • /ˌɔr iˈɛn tl, ˌoʊr‐/

Definitions of oriental word

  • adjective oriental (usually initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Orient, or East; Eastern. 1
  • adjective oriental of the orient, or the eastern region of the world or heavens: oriental countries; stars in the oriental sky. 1
  • adjective oriental (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. 1
  • adjective oriental Jewelry. (usually initial capital letter) designating various gems that are varieties of corundum: Oriental aquamarine; Oriental ruby. fine or precious; orient: oriental agate; oriental garnet. designating certain natural saltwater pearls found especially in Asia. 1
  • noun oriental (usually initial capital letter) Older Use: Usually Disparaging and Offensive. a native or inhabitant of the Orient, or East. 1
  • noun oriental Of, from, or characteristic of East Asia. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of oriental

First appearance:

before 1350
One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin orientālis, equivalent to orient- “east, the east” (see orient) + -ālis -al1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Oriental

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

oriental popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 88% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

oriental usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for oriental

adjective oriental

  • asian — Asian means belonging to or relating to Asia. British people use this term especially to refer to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Americans use this term especially to refer to China, Korea, Thailand, Japan, or Vietnam.
  • chinese — Chinese means relating to or belonging to China, or its people, languages, or culture.
  • japanese — of, relating to, or characteristic of Japan, its people, or their language.
  • korean — of or relating to Korea, its inhabitants, or their language.
  • byzantine — Byzantine means related to or connected with the Byzantine Empire.

Top questions with oriental

  • what does oriental mean?
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  • why is the word oriental offensive?
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See also

Matching words

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