1. awareness of the self and of outer reality; that is, the ability to identify one’s self and to know the time, the place, and the person one is talking to. See also reality orientation.

2. the act of directing the body or of moving toward an external stimulus, such as light, gravity, or some other aspect of the environment.

3. in vision, the degree of tilt of the long axis of a visual stimulus. For example, a vertical bar is oriented at 0°; a horizontal bar is oriented at 90°. Many neurons in the visual system respond most vigorously to a stimulus of a certain orientation: They are said to be orientation selective. See also orientation column.

4. relative position or alignment, for example, of a body part or an atom in a chemical compound.

5. the process of familiarizing oneself with a new setting (e.g., a new home, neighborhood, city) so that movement and use do not depend upon memory cues, such as maps, and eventually become habitual.

6. an individual’s general approach, ideology, or viewpoint.

7. the process of introducing a newcomer to a job, company, educational institution, or other environment. —orient vb.