east

From Middle English est, from Old English ēast, from Proto-West Germanic *austr, from Proto-Germanic *austrą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér (“east”). Compare West Frisian east, Dutch oost, German Ost, Danish øst, Norwegian Nynorsk aust, Swedish öst.

• IPA^(key): /iːst/, enPR: ēst

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (UK):

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• Rhymes: -iːst

east (plural easts)

2. The direction of the earth's rotation, specifically 90°.

   Alternative form: (abbreviation) E

   Portsmouth is to the east of Southampton.

   We live in the east of the country.

   The sun rises in the east.

   The levanter wind is in/from the east.

   • 1895, Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure:

     In a few hours the birds come to it from all points of the compass – east, west, north, and south […]

3. The eastern region or area; the inhabitants thereof. [circa 1300]
   • 1855, John Reynolds, My Own Times: Embracing Also the History of My Life, page 271:

     We, in the west, agreed amongst ourselves that a penitentiary should be erected with our half of the money arising as above stated; and the east agreed to improve the country in their vicinity with the other half.

4. (ecclesiastical) In a church: the direction of the altar and chancel; the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem.
   • 2014 April 11, Paul Porwoll, Against All Odds: History of Saint Andrew's Parish Church, Charleston, 1706–2013, Bloomington, Ind.: WestBow Press, →ISBN, pages 364–365:

     A few [Anglican churches in South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland] are oriented other than due [geographic] east—St. Paul's, St. George's, and Prince George's parish churches face northeast and St. Andrew's, southeast. […] Throughout the book I refer directionally to the altar and chancel of St. Andrew's as situated at ecclesiastical east (to avoid overcomplicating matters), not geographical or magnetic southeast. Thus, the altar is located at the east end of the church, and the gallery, at the west.

   • 2018, Anat Geva, Modernism and American Mid-20th Century Sacred Architecture, Routledge, →ISBN:

     However, in Mies' chapel, liturgical east is magnetic west.

   • 2019, Sarah Hosking, "Coventry Cathedral", in Prickett Stephen Prickett, Edinburgh Companion to the Bible and the Arts, Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 371:

     The tapestry by Graham Sutherland that occupies the whole wall of the liturgical east and geographic north of the cathedral is recognisable to the point of visual exhaustion.

compass points:  ^[edit]

Also see Appendix:Cardinal directions for translations of all compass points

east (not comparable)

1. Situated or lying in or towards the east; eastward.
2. (meteorology) Blowing (as wind) from the east.
3. Of or pertaining to the east; eastern.
4. From the East; oriental.
5. (ecclesiastical) Designating, or situated in, the liturgical east.

   the east front of a cathedral

   • 2014, Paul Porwoll, Against All Odds: History of Saint Andrew's Parish Church, Charleston, 1706-2013, WestBow Press, →ISBN, page 365:

     Throughout the book I refer directionally to the altar and chancel of St. Andrew's as situated at ecclesiastical east (to avoid overcomplicating matters), not geographical or magnetic southeast. Thus, the altar is located at the east end of the church, and the gallery, at the west.

   • 2019, Sarah Hosking, "Coventry Cathedral", in Prickett Stephen Prickett, Edinburgh Companion to the Bible and the Arts, Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 371:

     The tapestry by Graham Sutherland that occupies the whole wall of the liturgical east and geographic north of the cathedral is recognisable […] a huge image of Christ on the [liturgical] east end, filling the entire wall and to be visible through the [liturgical] West Window (Fig. 24.2).

• (situated or lying in or towards the east): eastward
• (meteorology: wind from the east): easterly
• (of or pertaining to the east): eastern
• (from the East): oriental

• (antonym(s) of “situated or lying in or towards the east”): westward
• (antonym(s) of “meteorology: wind from the east”): westerly
• (antonym(s) of “of or pertaining to the east”): western

east (not comparable)

1. towards the east; eastwards

• (towards the east): eastwards

• (antonym(s) of “towards the east”): west. westwards

• → Cornish: est

• AEST, ESTA, SEAT, Seat, TEAs, eats, etas, sate, saté, seat, seta, tase, teas

east

1. elative singular of iga

• ēaste f

Related to Proto-West Germanic *austr.

• IPA^(key): /æ͜ɑːst/

ēast m

2. the east

Strong a-stem:

• ēastmest
• ēastrihte
• ēastweard

• Middle English: est
  • English: east
    • → Cornish: est
  • Scots: eist, aist

ēast

2. eastern, easterly

• English: east

ēast

2. from the east
3. towards the east

• Middle English: est
  • English: east
• → Old French: est
  • French: est (see there for further descendants)

From Old Frisian āst, from Proto-West Germanic *austr.

• IPA^(key): /i.əst/

east

1. east, eastern, easterly

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

east n (plural [please provide])

1. east

east c (plural [please provide])

1. east, eastern former colonies

compass points:  ^[edit]

• “east”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011