(adj): having achieved a comfortable relation with your environment
(adj): headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in `college-bound students'
(adj): (often used in combination) having a specified direction
(adj): having a heading or course in a certain direction
(adj): oriented toward home
(adj): (used in combination) mentally oriented toward something specified
orientate
(v): determine one's position with reference to another point
(v): reach, make, or come to a decision about something
How about dilatation?
I'm Australian (Sydney born and bred) and I use orient/oriented and, of course, disoriented. But I certainly do hear, in Australia, usage such as: "I need to orientate myself" and even "I felt disorientated", which always makes me twitch a bit.
When I lived in America (eastern edge of the Midwest) I think I heard "orientated" at least as frequently as "oriented".
My Shorter OED says that orientate is most likely a 19th-century back-formation from orientation and refers the reader to orient.
And isn't it a wonderful word, with that idea of facing east, and the specific meaning coming from church architecture? (St Andrews Anglican Cathedral in Sydney has only just recently reoriented its altar to the eastern end of the building after moving it at some point in its history to avoid seeming popish.)
PS. This discussion has made me think of acclimate vs acclimatize, the former being almost exclusively US, the latter Australian/British.
I think I say disoriented but use orientated in other situations.
I’m interested in the regional usage of this; personally, I’m Australian and I use orientated instead of oriented.
Postscript: a quick Google search has informed me that orientated is common British usage, whereas oriented is common US usage, as well as in technical fields.
I prefer to use oriented.
I know this is real word, but it sounds wrong to me.