1. adjustment to surroundings; direction, tendency; direction of printing, direction in which one can read text or see:
a picture (Computers); turning toward the east. orientation\o`ri*en*ta"tion\ , n. [cf. f. orientation.].
2. the act or process of orientating; determination of the points of the compass, or the east point, in taking bearings.
3. the tendency of a revolving body, when suspended in a certain way, to bring the axis of rotation into parallelism with the earth's axis.
4. an aspect or fronting to the east; especially (arch.), the placing of a church so that the chancel, containing the altar toward which the congregation fronts in worship, will be on the east end.
5. fig.: a return to first principles; an orderly arrangement. the task of orientation undertaken in this chapter. f. ward.
6. The act or process of orientating; determination of the points of the compass, or the east point, in taking bearings.
7. The tendency of a revolving body, when suspended in a certain way, to bring the axis of rotation into parallelism with the earth's axis.
8. An aspect or fronting to the east; especially , the placing of a church so that the chancel, containing the altar toward which the congregation fronts in worship, will be on the east end.
9. Fig.: A return to first principles; an orderly arrangement. the act of orienting a person's awareness of self with regard to position and time and place and personal relationships an integrated set of attitudes and beliefs position or alignment relative to points of the compass or other specific directions.
10. 1. If you talk about the orientation of an organization or country, you are talking about the kinds of aims and interests it has. a marketing orientation To a society which has lost its orientation he has much to offer The movement is liberal and social democratic in orientation. = inclination.
11. Someone's orientation is their basic beliefs or preferences. legislation that would have made discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation illegal. = inclination.
12. Orientation is basic information or training that is given to people starting a new job, school, or course. a one-day orientation session. = induction.
13. The orientation of a structure or object is the direction it faces. Farnese had the orientation of the church changed so that the front would face a square. In architecture, the position of a building on its site. In Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well as in pre-Columbian Central America, a building's important features, such as entrances and passages, faced the rising sun. Mosques are oriented so that the mihrab faces Mecca. Christian churches have usually been oriented with the apse or altar at the eastern end. Orientation is frequently planned to take maximum advantage of daily and seasonal variations of sunlight. A structure's optimal orientation is usually a compromise between its function, location, and the prevailing environmental factors of solar radiation, light, humidity, and wind that make up the site's microclimate.