Spanish word

oriente

Pronunciation

IPA/oˈɾjente/

Meaning

  • masculine nouneast

Example

El sol sale por el oriente.

The sun rises in the east.

Illustration for oriente (east)

More examples

Vivimos al oriente de la ciudad.

We live in the eastern part of the city.

Core concept

Direction where the sun rises.

Common phrases

  • hacia el oriente

    toward the east

  • en el oriente

    in the east

  • viento del oriente

    east wind

Similar words

este: Cardinal direction where the sun rises, used in everyday speech and on maps.

Definition in Spanish

Dirección por donde sale el sol; punto cardinal situado en la parte oriental de un lugar.

Word origin

From Latin oriēns, present participle of orīrī 'to rise', originally meaning 'the rising direction' and later applied to the eastern direction and to eastern parts of a place.

Usage tips

  • Casual speech uses 'este' or phrases like 'al este' for bearings, while 'oriente' commonly appears in place names, regional descriptions, or the literary phrase 'el Oriente'.

Opposites

  • occidentewestnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word