Oriental

Meanings

Adjective

• Of a pearl or other precious stone: having a superior lustre.
• Pertaining to the eastern part of the sky; happening before sunrise.
• Happening in the eastern part of a given place or location.
• Pertaining to the regions east of the Mediterranean, beyond the Roman Empire or the early Christian world; of the Near East, the Middle East or the Far East, now especially relating to East Asia.
• Designating various types of aromatic tobacco grown in Turkey and the Balkans.

Noun

• A precious stone, especially an orient pearl.
• A member or descendant of the peoples and cultures of the Orient.
• A lily cultivar of a widely varied group, with strong scent.
• A person from the eastern region of a place.

Origin

• From Middle English oriental, from Anglo-Norman oriental, Middle French oriental, from Latin orientālis ("eastern"), from oriēns, present active participle of orior.