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

• eastness noun
• Eastern adjective

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

Firefighters responded to a plane crash near Carson Street just east of Woodruff Avenue near Heartwell Park, around 4 p.m, according to a Long Beach Fire Department social media post.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

De Paz had long advocated for street vendors in the Melrose/Vermont area, informing other vendors of their rights with the Community Power Collective, a nonprofit group in east Los Angeles.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Heavy rain will spread north-east across England and east Wales into Thursday.

Read more on BBC

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the "unidentified" missile flew east.

Read more on Barron's

For now there are two Gazas, with Hamas in the west and Israel in the east and south.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal