orienter

to orient, direct, guide

verb oh-ryahn-TEH Rare

Origin: From French orient (east, the direction of sunrise), ultimately Latin oriens

Usage Note

Orienter is used both literally (orienter une antenne — to point an antenna) and figuratively (orienter un élève vers les sciences — to steer a pupil towards science). The reflexive s'orienter means 'to find one's bearings' or 'to gravitate towards' a field.

Examples

"Il faut orienter les élèves vers les bonnes filières."

Natural Translation

We need to steer students towards the right tracks.

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