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Definition of oriental adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

oriental

adjective
 
/ˌɔːriˈentl/
 
/ˌɔːriˈentl/
(old-fashioned, sometimes offensive)
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  1. connected with or typical of the eastern part of the world, especially China and Japan, and the people who live there
    • oriental languages
    This term is now old-fashioned and can be offensive, as it suggests all people from East Asia are the same and is sometimes used in connection with stereotypes (= fixed but not accurate ideas about a group of people). You can use the term East Asian instead but it is better to be more specific if you can, for example by saying Chinese or Japanese.
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryOriental is used with these nouns:
    • carpet
    • medicine
    • rug
    • …
    See full entry
    Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin orientalis, from orient- ‘rising or east’, from oriri ‘to rise’.
See oriental in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: oriental

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