Where does “oriental” come from?
oriental (Middle English) comes from Middle French oriental, from Latin orientālis, from Latin oriēns, from Latin orior, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ér- — to move, to stir.
Ancestry of “oriental”, step by step
oriental traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French oriental
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | oriental | — |
| 2 | Latin | orientālis | of the east, eastern |
| 3 | Latin | oriēns | rising |
| 4 | Latin | orior | I rise, get up; I appear, become visible; I am... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ér- | to move, to stir |
via Anglo-Norman oriental
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | oriental | — |