English
Oriental
Oriental comes from Latin orientālis ‘eastern’, from oriēns ‘rising (of the Sun)’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *oriōr ‘to rise, get up’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oriōr‘to rise, get up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorior‘to rise’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoriēns‘rising (of the Sun)’present active participle of orior
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorientālis‘eastern’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400oriental
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 2022Oriental
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oriōr‘to rise, get up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorior‘to rise’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoriēns‘rising (of the Sun)’present active participle of orior
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEorientālis‘eastern’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400oriental
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 2022Oriental
Earliest quotation: 2022, Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow: “He looked at her face. He ran his index…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- ‘to stir, rise’
run, ride, earn, irritable, irritate, aborigines, ornithology, erne, orogeny, 14 more
through Proto-Italic *oriōr ‘to rise, get up’
originally, originality, origination, aborigine, 5 more
through Latin orior ‘to rise’
Today it means
adj Of a pearl or other precious stone: having a superior lustre.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *oriōr / Oriental