Reorientate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌɹiːˈɔːɹɪɛnteɪt/

Definitions

1. To change the position or direction of something so that it faces a different way
2. To adjust or alter the orientation of an object, person, or concept to a new alignment
3. To turn or shift the focus or direction of something to face another way

Etymology: "Reorientate" is simply "orientate" with the prefix "re-" attached, meaning "again" or "back." "Orientate" itself is a verb formed from "orient," which in English goes back to the sense of the east, since the word comes from the Latin "oriens," meaning "rising" (of the sun), and the eastern horizon was the reference point for working out direction. To orientate something was originally to position it toward the east, and the sense broadened to any alignment of a thing with its surroundings. The prefix "re-" adds the idea of doing that again, or of turning something back into a new alignment. So "reorientate" describes setting something facing a different way after it has been pointed one way before. The verb is a straightforward English formation, and the same pattern produces "reorient" and "reorientation," which are used interchangeably with it in most contexts.

Synonyms: realign, reposition, redirect

Antonyms: misorient