Oriental

Derived from the Latin orientalis, meaning "rising" (referring to the rising sun in the East), the term Oriental has historically been used to describe the geography, culture, and inhabitants of Asia—specifically East Asia. For centuries, it served as a standard descriptor in Western literature, geography, and commerce to distinguish the "East" from the "Occident" (West), encompassing a vast region that sometimes included the Middle East but eventually narrowed to focus on countries like China, Japan, and Korea.

Today, the acceptability of the term depends heavily on context and geography. In the United States, referring to a person as "Oriental" is widely considered outdated and offensive; it is viewed as a Eurocentric, colonialist term that exoticizes Asian people, conflates distinct cultures, and objectifies individuals in the same manner as rugs or vases. Consequently, the U.S. government removed the term from federal law in 2016. However, in British English, the term is still occasionally used to refer to people of East Asian descent without necessarily carrying the same pejorative weight, though usage is declining in favor of "Asian." Additionally, the term remains standard in many English-speaking regions when describing inanimate objects (rugs, lilies), animal breeds (Oriental Shorthair cats), or academic concepts (Oriental studies).

Example:
"The gallery curator explained that the term 'Oriental' is still the industry standard for classifying these specific 19th-century carpets."

Example:
"He apologized after realizing that referring to his coworkers as 'Oriental' was considered derogatory, correcting himself to use 'Asian American' instead."