Where does “orientalist” come from?
Orientalist comes from English Oriental, from Middle French oriental, from Ancient Greek -ιστής, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -yéti.
orientalist (English): A person interested in the Orient
Definitions
- A person interested in the Orient
Ancestry of “orientalist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Oriental | Of a pearl or other precious stone: having a... |
| 2 | Middle English | oriental | — |
| 3 | Middle French | oriental | — |
| 4 | Latin | orientālis | of the east, eastern |
| 5 | Latin | oriēns | rising |
| 6 | Latin | orior | I rise, get up; I appear, become visible; I am... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ér- | to move, to stir |