The term orient (sometimes spelled oryente, oriente, orientst, orien, or oriyenst in earlier times) originated from the French word orienter in the 1740s. Essentially, it had the same meaning as our modern usage, but more literally translated to “to face the east”. This is because it is derived from the Latin word orientem, which means “east”. Orientem is also the root of the noun Orient and the adjective Oriental, which initially referred to things located in the east but later became associated with Asia due to increased interactions with Europe. Going back further, orientem served as the accusative present participle of oriri, meaning “to rise” (as the sun rises in the east). Ultimately, this traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root heri, also meaning “rise” (and the source of words like abort and origin).
