orient

Other forms: oriented; orienting; orientated; orients

When you orient yourself towards something, you point yourself towards it, literally or figuratively.

The Orient is an old-fashioned name for Asia, or the East. It's where the sun rises, and, sure enough, the Latin root of orient means "rising," as in the rising of the sun. If you're lost in the woods, probably the first thing you'd do is look for the sun and try to orient yourself — figure out which direction you need to walk in order to get to where you want to go. You might also take out your orienteering equipment — your compass and map. If the sun isn't out, you might have to settle in and orient yourself to your surroundings and prepare for a long night in the woods.