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 for

1. eastern.

east

¹

/ 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. the east
   the east often capital any area lying in or towards the east oriental
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

East

²

/ iːst /

noun

1. the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient
2. See West
   the countries under Communist rule and formerly under Communist rule, lying mainly in the E hemisphere Compare West
3. in the US
   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

Derived Forms

• ˈEastern, adjective

Other Words From

• eastness 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

According to Pew, 14 of the 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa have blasphemy laws.

From The Daily Beast

“Please, please do not permit this to happen here in Florida,” wrote Cris K. Smith of East Polk County.

From The Daily Beast

They took cover inside a print works to the north east of Paris, where they held a member of staff as a hostage.

From The Daily Beast

Sales are best in Asia, London, the Middle East, and Russia.

From The Daily Beast

Eventually, DeCrow and Seidenberg filed suit against the East Village mainstay.

From The Daily Beast

Descending the Alps to the east or south into Piedmont, a new world lies around and before you.

From Project Gutenberg

The east window in this church has been classed as the A1 of modern painted windows.

From Project Gutenberg

The cantonment was split into two sections by an irregular ravine, or nullah, running east and west.

From Project Gutenberg

Of course, my first row was a long one, quite through the city from west to east, including innumerable turnings and windings.

From Project Gutenberg

Turn we our backs to the cold gloomy north, to the wet windy west, to the dry parching east—on to the south!

From Project Gutenberg