Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A person interested in the Orient

Ancestry of “orientalist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishOrientalOf a pearl or other precious stone: having a...
2Middle Englishoriental—
3Middle Frenchoriental—
4Latinorientālis—
5Latinoriēns—
6LatinoriorI rise, get up; I appear, become visible; I am...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ér-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ér- →