disorientate

English

Etymology

From dis- +‎ orientate.[1] Not a back-formation from disorientation, which is attested much later and is perhaps from disorientate.[2]

Verb

disorientate (third-person singular simple present disorientates, present participle disorientating, simple past and past participle disorientated)

  1. (sometimes proscribed, chiefly British) Alternative form of disorient.
    • 1941, Frederic William Eggleston, Search for a Social Philosophy, page 254:
      Ideas often disorientate a system which has been formed on a particular pattern and make it inapplicable; so ideas may lead to the readjustment of groups and sometimes of political boundaries.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • orient, orientate, disorient”, in Writing Tips Plus (Canada.ca), Ottawa, Ont.: Government of Canada, 28 February 2020:The verbs orient and orientate are both acceptable, with orient being more common in North America. [] The antonym for both verbs is disorient; disorientate is non–standard English.
  • Paul Brians (2009) “orientate”, in Common Errors in English Usage, 2nd edition, Wilsonville, Or.: William, James & Company, →ISBN:Although it is standard in British English ‘orientate’ is widely considered an error in the US, with simple ‘orient’ being preferred. The same pattern applies to ‘disorientate’ vs. ‘disorient.’
  1. ^ disorientate, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “disorientation (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

disorientate

  1. inflection of disorientare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

disorientate f pl

  1. feminine plural of disorientato