orientation-dependent
|o-ri-en-ta-tion-de-pend-ent|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃən dɪˈpɛndənt/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːrɪənˈteɪʃ(ə)n dɪˈpɛnd(ə)nt/
depends on direction
Etymology
'orientation-dependent' originates from Latin and Old French via Modern English, specifically the words 'orientatio' (from Latin 'oriēns') and 'dependēns' (from Latin 'pendēre'), where 'oriēns' meant 'rising, east' and 'pendere' meant 'to hang'.
'orientation' entered English from Latin 'orientatio' (through French/orienter and later English formation) and 'dependent' comes from Latin 'dependēns' via Old French 'dependre' and Middle English 'dependent'. These two elements were combined in Modern English as a compound adjective 'orientation-dependent', especially in technical contexts of the 19th–20th centuries.
Initially, 'orientation' referred to the act of finding the east or positioning and 'dependent' meant 'hanging on or relying on'. Over time, the compound came to mean 'varying according to direction' or 'determined by orientation' in scientific and technical usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the condition or quality of depending on orientation; the dependence of a property or behavior on direction.
Orientation dependence of the sensor must be accounted for in the calibration.
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Adjective 1
varying according to or determined by orientation or direction; depending on the way something is oriented.
The material's electrical conductivity is orientation-dependent.
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Last updated: 2025/09/19 12:33