east
/ɪjst/ noun, adjective, adverb, proper noun
Also a form of oast
Forms easts further east farther east furthest east farthest east Eastes
- noun The direction of the earth's rotation, specifically 90°. “Portsmouth is to the east of Southampton.”
- noun The eastern region or area; the inhabitants thereof.
- noun (ecclesiastical) In a church: the direction of the altar and chancel; the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem.
- adjective Situated or lying in or towards the east; eastward.
- adjective (meteorology) Blowing (as wind) from the east.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the east; eastern.
- adjective From the East; oriental.
- adjective (ecclesiastical) Designating, or situated in, the liturgical east.
- adverb Towards the east; eastwards.
- proper noun Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
- proper noun The Eastern world; the regions, primarily situated in the Eastern Hemisphere, whose culture is derived from Arabia, India, Persia or China.
- proper noun The Eastern Bloc; the eastern countries of Europe.
- proper noun (historical) the Soviet Union and its socialist allies during the Cold War.
- proper noun (historical) The Eastern Roman Empire.
- proper noun (Christianity) That part of the Christian Church whose traditions and practices originated in the former territories of the Eastern Roman Empire, including the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Oriental Orthodox Church, and Church of the East.
- proper noun The eastern states of the United States.
- proper noun A civil parish of Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Synonyms
eastward easterly oriental of pertaining to the east eastwards easter levanter due east E Orient eastern United States
Antonyms
westward westerly antonym(s) of “of pertaining to the east” west westwards
Etymology
From Middle English est, from Old English ēast, from Proto-West Germanic *austr, from Proto-Germanic *austrą, from Proto-Germanic *austraz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsteros (“east”).
Cognate with Scots aist (“east”), North Frisian uast, ååst, ööst (“east”), Saterland Frisian Aaste (“east”), West Frisian east (“east”), Dutch oost (“east”), German Ost (“east”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål øst (“east”), Faroese eystur (“east”), Icelandic austur (“east”), Norwegian Nynorsk aust, øst (“east”), Swedish ost, öst, öster (“east”); also with Avestan 𐬎𐬱𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭𐬀 (ušastara, “eastern”), Latin auster (“south”).
By proprialization from east.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The point in the heavens where the sun is seen to rise at the equinox, or the corresponding point on the earth; that one of the four cardinal points of the compass which is in a direction at right angles to that of north and south, and which is toward the right hand of one who faces the north; the point directly opposite to the west.
- noun The eastern parts of the earth; the regions or countries which lie east of Europe; the orient. In this indefinite sense, the word is applied to Asia Minor, Syria, Chaldea, Persia, India, China, etc.; as, the riches of the East; the diamonds and pearls of the East; the kings of the East.
- adjective Toward the rising sun; or toward the point where the sun rises when in the equinoctial; as, the east gate; the east border; the east side; the east wind is a wind that blows from the east.
- adverb Eastward.
Etymology [OE. est, east, AS. eást; akin to D. oost, oosten, OHG. , G. ost, osten, Icel. austr, Sw. ost, Dan. öst, östen, Lith. auszra dawn, L. aurora (for ausosa), Gr. ushas; cf. Skr. ush to burn, L. urere. Aurora, Easter, Sterling.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “east”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details