orientate

English

Etymology

Back-formation from orientation.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɒɹi.ənteɪt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb

orientate (third-person singular simple present orientates, present participle orientating, simple past and past participle orientated)

1. (UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, intransitive) To face a given direction.
2. (UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, reflexive) To determine one's position relative to the surroundings; to orient (oneself).
   • 1961, John le Carré, Call for the Dead:

     He […] stood for a moment, orientating himself exactly in the light of his knowledge.

   He came out of the station and took some time to orientate himself.

3. To arrange in order; to dispose or place (a body) so as to show its relation to other bodies, or the relation of its parts among themselves.
   • 1848, James Dwight Dana, Manual of Mineralogy:

     The one preferred is to make the dominant forms first order, that is, orientated in such a way as to intersect both horizontal crystallographic axes.

4. (UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, transitive) To position (something), to align relative to a given position.

   Try to orientate your students towards the science subjects.

5. (archaic) To move or turn toward the east; to veer from the north or south toward the east.

Usage notes

• Generally considered an error in American English. Compare developmentation.

Synonyms

• orient

Derived terms

• orientating response

Translations

face a certain direction

• Greek: προσανατολίζω (el) (prosanatolízo)

Anagrams

• retinoate

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

orientate

1. inflection of orientare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

orientate f pl

1. feminine plural of orientato

Spanish

Verb

orientate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of orientar combined with te