Rising, as the sun; ascending; arising.Eastern. Also oriental.Resembling the dawn in brilliancy, brightness, or purity of coloring; bright; shining; pellucid; especially, as applied to pearls, of a delicate speckless texture, and clear, almost translucent, white color with subdued iridescence: opposed to occidental.n. The east; the part of the horizon where the sun first appears in the morning: opposed to Occident.n. [cap. or lowercase] With the definite article, the East; Eastern countries; specifically [capitalized], the region to the east and southeast of the leading states of Europe: a vague term, including Turkey, Persia, Egypt, India, etc.n. The peculiar luster of a pearl; a delicate speckless texture, with pellucid color and subdued iridescence, as in pearls of the first water.n. A pearl possessing such qualities; a pearl of the first water.To define the position of in respect to the east; ascertain the position of relative to the points of the compass; hence, to find the bearings of, in general; figuratively, to adjust or correct by referring to first principles or recognized facts or truths; take one's proper bearings mentally.To place or arrange so as to face the east — that is, with its length from west to east; specifically, of a church, to place so that the chief altar is at the east end — that is, to place with the long axis east and west, the apse being toward the east, and the chief entrance at the west end; or, of a corpse, to place with the feet toward the east.Hence To place or arrange, as a building, in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass: as, the episcopal cathedral of New York will be oriented north and south.In biology, to place (an organism) in a favorable position for study or description, or to treat it in reference to this position.To place (a map or chart) in such a horizontal position that a line joining any two given points on the map shall be parallel to the line joining the corresponding points on the earth's surface; literally, to make the east direction on the map point toward the east.An abbreviation of orientalist.