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)
- (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
to cause to lose orientation or direction — see disorient
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.’”
- ^ “disorientate, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “disorientation (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Italian
Etymology 1
Verb
disorientate
- inflection of disorientare:
- second-person plural present indicative
- second-person plural imperative
Etymology 2
Participle
disorientate f pl
- feminine plural of disorientato