Orientalia

[ awr-ee-uhn-tey-lee-uh, -teyl-yuh, ohr- ]

plural noun

1. books, manuscripts, and other objects pertaining to the Orient, an older name for East Asia, and Oriental art, culture, history, folklore, or the like.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Orientalia¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from New Latin, noun use of neuter plural of Latin orientālis oriental

Example Sentences

A silvered-iron staircase by sculptor Joseph Csaky ascended to three rooms so packed with modern art, African masks, and Orientalia that they had a Victorian aura, recalling the rich decor at rue Spontini.

From Architectural Digest

Today it is easy to view the piece as a projection of Western fantasies about Japanese culture, young Japanese women as exquisitely devoted love objects and part of a vogue for "Orientalia" that swept Europe after long-isolated Japan opened its borders to the West in the 1850s and exposed its vibrant cultural traditions.

From Seattle Times

Orientalis 125, described incorrectly by Lagarde, Orientalia, Heft i. p.

From Project Gutenberg

I lost belief in my subject matter -- I dismissed it as 'Orientalia for the intelligentsia' -- and virtually stopped writing for two years.

From Time Magazine Archive

Rodgers & Hammerstein's slick musical contribution to Broadway's current mania for Orientalia.

From Time Magazine Archive