The Orient's a term which simply means the "east". It originated in Western Asia to describe the parts of the world that were in the "far east" of their known world at the time. It's now used in English as a metonym to describe Eastern Asia, and depending on nationality, in reference to certain Southeastern Asian minorities as well. Derivation The term "Orient"'s derived from the Latin word oriens meaning "east" (lit. "rising" < orior "rise"). The use of the word for "rising" to refer to the… (More on Orient)