easterly

[ee-ster-lee]

See more synonyms for easterly on Thesaurus.com

adjective

moving, directed, or situated toward the east: an easterly course.
(especially of a wind) coming from the east: an easterly gale.

adverb

toward the east.
from the east.

noun, plural east·er·lies.

a wind that blows from the east.

Origin of easterly

1540–50; obsolete easter eastern (see easterling) + -ly

Related formseast·er·li·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for easterly

east, easterly, eastward

Examples from the Web for easterly

Contemporary Examples of easterly

Each pilot made an easterly course toward Fallujah, heading back to the LZ beyond Camp Schwedler.
The Night the SEALS Captured the Butcher of Fallujah
Patrick Robinson
November 11, 2013
Afternoon weather for central London is predicted to be 12C, light rain, easterly breeze with the evening, largely overcast.
Jubilee Celebrations Continue in London
Tom Sykes
June 4, 2012

Historical Examples of easterly

So they rose into the air and disappeared in an easterly direction.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
It can be cold in our village, even in early September, when there is an easterly storm.
Cy Whittaker's Place
Joseph C. Lincoln
We'll have rain and an easterly blow by night, see if we don't.
The Woman-Haters
Joseph C. Lincoln
No barometer will give warning of an easterly gale, were it ever so wet.
The Mirror of the Sea
Joseph Conrad
Anselmo determined to leave France in an easterly direction.
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume II (of 2)
Alexandre Dumas pre

British Dictionary definitions for easterly

easterly

adjective

of, relating to, or situated in the east

adverb, adjective

towards or in the direction of the east
from the eastan easterly wind

noun plural -lies

a wind from the east

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 easterly

adv.

1540s, from easter (late 14c.), variant of eastern + -ly (2). As a noun meaning "easterly wind," by 1901. Old English easterlic meant "pertaining to Easter."

easterly in Science

easterly

[ē′stər-lē]

A wind, especially a prevailing wind, that blows from the east. The trade winds in tropical regions and the prevailing winds in the polar regions are easterlies. See illustration at wind.