ocidental

Occidental is an adjective meaning western, derived from the Latin occidental-, from occidens, west or sunset. In English, Occident designates the Western world, and occidental can be used as a formal or somewhat archaic descriptor. The term has historically been paired with Orient in Western thought to contrast West and East, a binary that has been criticized for reinforcing Eurocentric perspectives. Contemporary usage often favors more precise terms such as Western countries or the Western world.

Across Romance languages, occidental is the standard word for western in geographic, political, and cultural contexts. In Spanish, for example, el Occidente or los países occidentales are common formulations; in French, Italian, and Portuguese, corresponding terms exist (occidental, occidentale, occidentale, ocidental). In English, however, occidental survives mainly in formal or institutional contexts or in proper names, such as Occidental College in Los Angeles and Occidental Petroleum, the energy company commonly known as Oxy. The word also appears in historical or religious texts as a general label for the Western world.

See also: Occidentalism, a scholarly term for analyses of Western identity and representation, and the broader discussion of West–East conceptualizations in history, politics, and culture.