# Question for Latin-speaking people **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142 "2004-09-04T20:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142/1 "2004-09-04T20:18:55Z")
I was playing “Colonization” the other day and noticed something interesting. In the Opening sequence, you have a ship sailing from Europe through one of those “Here be monsters” maps that were common at the time. At one point the ship sails past “Terra Incognita”, which I know well enough(and it sounds pretty cool, besides). However, as the ship leaves, Europe, it sails into “Oceanus Occidetalis”. Oceanus is pretty obvious, even for a non-latin person like myself, but what about the other part? I’ve even noticed this in a book about exploration through the ages. What does “Ocean Occidetalis” mean? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142/2 "2004-09-04T20:28:23Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > What does “Ocean Occidetalis” mean? Should be “occidentalis.” It just means “Western Ocean.” ---
**Author:** ![iracundo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bc8723/32.png) [@iracundo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iracundo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142/3 "2004-09-04T20:29:43Z")
I’m pretty sure occidentalis means “western.” Much of what I learned during the six years I studied latin has been lost, but I’m as close to positive as I can get on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142/4 "2004-09-04T20:35:02Z")
What they said. In days of yore, when East Asia was “the Orient,” the European-American civilization was “the Occident.” It’s derived from Latin _occidens_, “Western” – and that in turn appears to be derived from “place where the Sun goes down” in meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142/5 "2004-09-04T20:39:09Z")
Yup, _occidentalis_ from _occidens_, present participle of _occido, occidere_, to fall or set - opposite of _orientalis_, from _oriens_, present participle of _orior, oriri_, to rise. Not that I have a Collins Latin dictionary handy or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142/6 "2004-09-04T20:39:31Z")
Mae West sings: [I’m an Occidental Woman in an Oriental Mood for Love](http://store.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,300122,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-latin-speaking-people/263142/7 "2004-09-04T21:00:05Z")
There was some question about intent when the pilot of the steamship Great Western ran over the dolphin, but the conclusion was that he did it occidentally on porpoise.