east

[eest]

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noun

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

the direction in which this point lies.

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

the East,

the parts of Asia collectively lying east of Europe and including Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia, India, China, etc.; the Orient.
the Far East.
(formerly) the Soviet Union and its allies.
the part of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.
the part of the U.S. east of the Allegheny Mountains.
New England.
Ancient and Medieval History.the Eastern Roman Empire.

adjective

directed or proceeding toward the east.

coming from the east: an east wind.

lying toward or situated in the east: the east side.

Ecclesiastical. being at the end of the church where the high altar is: an east window.

adverb

to, toward, or in the east: an island located east of Sumatra; He went east.

Origin of east

before 900; Middle English est, Old English ēast; cognate with German ost, Old Norse austr; akin to Latin aurōra, Greek aúōs (dialectal variant of ēṓs, héōs) dawn. See Easter

Related formseast·ness, noun

East.

or east.

eastern.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for east

oriental, eastern, gerontogeous

Examples from the Web for east

Contemporary Examples of east

“Please, please do not permit this to happen here in Florida,” wrote Cris K. Smith of East Polk County.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails
Jackie Kucinich
January 9, 2015
Eventually, DeCrow and Seidenberg filed suit against the East Village mainstay.
The Bars That Made America Great
Nina Strochlic
December 28, 2014
That goodness steered him clear of the Sex Boys, the Crazy Homicides, the Sons of Nuns, and the other gangs of East New York.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops
Michael Daly
December 26, 2014
Other communist countries that withdrew their films and delegates included East Germany, Cuba, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.
When Countries Lose Their Shit Over American Movies
Asawin Suebsaeng
December 17, 2014
The Hazard gang is a multi-generational gang based in the East Los Angeles area.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs
Seth Ferranti
December 11, 2014

Historical Examples of east

I see some man in the East has a fad for breaking the ice in the river and going swimming.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
The West and the East were met in conflict,—the old and the new, the stale and the fresh.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Camped on east side of the sand-hills, with first-rate feed for the horses.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
To the east, plains for at least thirty miles, when broken ranges were visible.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
Ascended the Frere Ranges and got a fine view to the north and east.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest

British Dictionary definitions for east

east

noun

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

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

the east (often capital) any area lying in or towards the eastRelated adjective: oriental

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

adjective

situated in, moving towards, or facing the east

(esp of the wind) from the east

adverb

in, to, or towards the east

archaic (of the wind) from the east

Symbol: E

Word Origin for east

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

East

noun the East

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

the countries under Communist rule and formerly under Communist rule, lying mainly in the E hemisphereCompare West (def. 2)

(in the US)

the area north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi
the area north of Maryland and east of the Alleghenies

adjective

of or denoting the eastern part of a specified country, area, etc
(as part of a name)East Sussex

Derived FormsEastern, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for east

Old English east "east, easterly, eastward," from Proto-Germanic *aus-to-, *austra- "east, toward the sunrise" (cf. Old Frisian ast "east," aster "eastward," Dutch oost Old Saxon ost, Old High German ostan, German Ost, Old Norse austr "from the east"), from PIE *aus- "to shine," especially "dawn" (cf. Sanskrit ushas "dawn;" Greek aurion "morning;" Old Irish usah, Lithuanian auszra "dawn;" Latin aurora "dawn," auster "south"), literally "to shine." The east is the direction in which dawn breaks. For theory of shift in sense in Latin, see Australia.

Meaning "the eastern part of the world" (from Europe) is from c.1300. French est, Spanish este are borrowings from Middle English, originally nautical. The east wind in Biblical Palestine was scorching and destructive (cf. Ezek. xvii:10); in New England it is bleak, wet, unhealthful.

Cold War use of East for "communist states" first recorded 1951. Natives of eastern Germany and the Baltics were known as easterlings 16c.-18c. East End of London so called by 1846; East Side of Manhattan so called from 1882; East Indies (India and Southeast Asia) so called 1590s to distinguish them from the West Indies.