east

¹

[eest]

noun

1. a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E

2. the direction in which this point lies.

3. (usually initial capital letter),  a quarter or territory situated in this direction.

4. the East,

   1. the parts of Asia collectively lying east of Europe and including Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia, India, China, etc.

   2. East Asia.

   3. (formerly) the Soviet Union and its allies.

   4. the part of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

   5. the part of the U.S. east of the Allegheny Mountains.

   6. New England.

   7. Ancient and Medieval History.,  the Eastern Roman Empire.

adjective

1. directed or proceeding toward the east.

2. coming from the east.

   an east wind.

3. lying toward or situated in the east.

   the east side.

4. Ecclesiastical.,  being at the end of the church where the high altar is.

   an east window.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the east.

   an island located east of Sumatra; He went east.

East.

²

Or east.

abbreviation

1. eastern.

East

¹

/ iːst /

noun

1. the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient

2. the countries under Communist rule and formerly under Communist rule, lying mainly in the E hemisphere Compare West

3. 1. the area north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi

   2. the area north of Maryland and east of the Alleghenies

adjective

1. 1. of or denoting the eastern part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( as part of a name )

      East Sussex

east

²

/ iːst /

noun

1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 90° clockwise from north and 180° from west

2. the direction along a parallel towards the sunrise, at 90° to north; the direction of the earth's rotation

3. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the east

4. cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to east on the compass

adjective

1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the east

2. (esp of the wind) from the east

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the east

2. archaic,  (of the wind) from the east

Other Word Forms

• Eastern adjective
• eastness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of East¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English est, Old English ēast; cognate with German ost, Old Norse austr; akin to Latin aurōra, Greek aúōs (Aeolic dialect variant of ēṓs, héōs ) “dawn”; Easter

Word History and Origins

Origin of East¹

Old English ēast; related to Old High German ōstar to the east, Old Norse austr, Latin aurora dawn, Greek eōs, Sanskrit usās dawn, morning

Example Sentences

The Jackdaw field – 150 miles east of Aberdeen – will be capable of producing 6% of the UK's gas needs.

From BBC

Adoption agencies in south east England previously said increasing numbers of children were hoping to be adopted but there were falling numbers of prospective parents.

From BBC

This will be the 16th outbreak of the deadly virus in the vast central African state that has poor health services, and is hit by conflict in the east.

From BBC

Councils in the north east of Scotland have said they will remove saltires which have been tied to street lights without permission after dozens appeared in recent weeks.

From BBC

The list also includes the London College of Fashion campus on the former Olympic Park in east London and AstraZeneca's medical research centre in Cambridge.

From BBC