'Western-oriented' is a modern English compound formed from 'Western' and 'oriented'. 'Western' comes from the Old English root 'west' plus the adjectival suffix '-ern' meaning 'of or relating to the west'; 'oriented' derives from the verb 'orient', ultimately from Latin 'oriens' meaning 'rising' or 'east'.

'Western' traces back to Old English 'west' (from Proto-Germanic *westraz) and the suffix '-ern'; 'orient' entered English via Old French and Latin ('oriens'), meaning originally 'rising' (the east). The adjective 'oriented' evolved from the past participle of 'orient' and was generalized to mean 'directed toward' or 'aligned with'. The compound 'Western-oriented' arose in modern English by combining the adjective 'Western' with the participial adjective 'oriented' to describe an orientation toward the West.

Originally, 'orient' related to the east or to 'rising' (as in the sunrise). Over time 'orient' and 'orientate/orient' came to mean 'to align or direct toward' something; in the compound 'Western-oriented' the meaning shifted to 'directed toward or influenced by the West' rather than anything to do with the geographical east.