orienate

English

Etymology

Probably from the incorrect derivation of Latin oriēns (“orient”, oriēnt- in compounds) +‎ -ate (verb-forming suffix) or a misspelling of orientate (perhaps through French, see pronunciation at French orient). Compare oriency and orience.

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹiɛnˌeɪt/

Verb

orienate (third-person singular simple present orienates, present participle orienating, simple past and past participle orienated)

1. (transitive, reflexive) To orientate (oneself/something), be able not to get lost.
   • 1928, Thomas Sigismund Stribling, East is East, page 114:

     He sat up amid the melting ephialtes, stared at the woman and tried to orienate himself.

   • 1931, Frontier Times - Volume 9, page 379:

     Standing by the skeleton foundations, it is easy to orienate the old tragedy and to say with approximate accuracy, "There stood Wild Bill wher ^[sic] the fight began;" " On this spot McCanles fell;" " There Woods stumbled to his death;" and "Yonder toward the old bridge, the doomed and wounded Gordon staggered in flight."

   • 1961, J. W. Langstone, Modern Methods with Racing Pigeons, page 132:

     […] mainly to ensure they would not rest, if possible, since the bird normally comes only to land at its nest—less than two hours' flying time away, in good weather, so giving a very generous allowance of time to return home before the morning light if they were able to orienate themselves on release .

2. (transitive, reflexive or intransitive, social sciences, religion, dated) To change (or make something change) for or get accustomed (or make something get accustomed) to a new situation, adapt.
   • 2005, David Middleton, Steve D Brown, The Social Psychology of Experience:

     We may also discern that Mary picks up something of a possible rebuke as, in her final turn, she orienate directly to this contrast between *then' and ' now' by identifying Jean and Mary as "you' - [...]

   • 1948, Defendants' trial exhibits:

     "...a militant party, a revolutionary party, bold enongh to lead the proletarians to the struggle for power, with sufficient experience to be able to orienate itself in the complicated problems that arise in a revolutionary situation [...]

   • 1979, Armenia Today, page 12:

     And one must also be able to orienate himself quickly, to catch up the direction of the approaching fashions.

   • 1930, United States Veterans' Bureau Medical report, volume VI:

     From March 11 to March 18 the condition grew progressively worse; the patient became restless; he developed stertorous breathing, became stuporous, and failed to recognize his wife, but on March 20 became orienated, complaining of numbness in the side of the face; [...]

3. (transitive) To point (something) in a particular direction.
   • 1940, Orate Fratres, volume 15, No.15:

     For in every respect the author's approach and treatment are soundly calculated to develop a mentality, to orienate a spirituality, that will be nothing if not wholesome and traditional.

   • 1948, British Documents on Foreign Affairs--reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print: Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia:

     [...]; but, apart from the general tendency on the part of the Government to orienate their economy in the direction of the latter country, the reason for this preference is threefold, [...]

   • 1978, Virendra Kumar, Committees and Commissions in India, 1947-73, page 286:

     Active initiative should also come from the Trade Union to provide necessary healthy diversion and also to re-orienate the working of the trade unions .

   • 2016, Dean Marquis, Roxanne: And the Netherworld:

     A successful Map Recce required several factors; First, the Leader had to Orienate your Map, so that North was up.