Etymology Explorer › Middle English

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-.

Ancestry of “oriental”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchoriental—
2Latinorientālis—
3Latinoriēns—
4LatinoriorI rise, get up; I appear, become visible; I am...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ér-—

Words derived from “oriental”

  • Oriental
  • oriental
  • orientalist
  • orientally
  • orientalize
  • Orientalize
  • orientality
  • Orientalise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ér- →