Orientation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɔɹiɛnˈteɪʃən/

Definitions

1. The direction something faces or the process of becoming familiar with a new situation or environment
2. The alignment of an object or person in relation to their surroundings or the method of acclimating to new circumstances or settings
3. The positioning of entities within a specific context or the act of adjusting to unfamiliar environments or situations

Etymology: "Orientation" is a French formation built on "orient," the Latin "oriens" (rising, as of the sun), which gave English its word for the east. The sense of finding one's position comes from a practice in which people turned to face the east to determine their bearings, so that the other directions could be worked out from there. In English, "orient" came to mean setting oneself right in relation to surroundings, and "orientation" followed as the act or result of doing so. The word passed into English by way of French, where "orientation" had developed from "orienter," meaning to orient or align. The Latin root "oriri," to rise, also gave English "origin" and "orient," and the link between a rising sun and a starting point is still visible in both.

Synonyms: positioning, alignment, direction

Antonyms: disorientation