east
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
east¹
- /iːst/
- /ɪjst/ British, Southern, Standard
Rhymes with -iːst
Where it comes from
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”).
Cognates
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”).
noun easts
- The direction of the earth's rotation, specifically 90°. Portsmouth is to the east of Southampton.
- The eastern region or area; the inhabitants thereof. 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.
- In a church: the direction of the altar and chancel; the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem. 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. And
adjective
-
Situated or lying in or towards the east; eastward.
Similar: eastward
-
Blowing (as wind) from the east.
Similar: easterly
- Of or pertaining to the east; eastern.
-
From the East; oriental.
Similar: oriental
- Designating, or situated in, the liturgical east. the east front of a cathedral
Similar: of, pertaining to the east · Opposite: westward, westerly, antonym(s) of “of, pertaining to the east”
East²
- /iːst/
Sounds like east · Rhymes with -iːst
Where it comes from
By proprialization from east.
proper noun Easts · Eastes
- Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie. […] I sat down and wrote, / In such a hand as when a field of corn / Bows all its ears before the roaring East; […]
- The Eastern world; the regions, primarily situated in the Eastern Hemisphere, whose culture is derived from Arabia, India, Persia or China. I remember a hearty welcome; a prodigious supper, which would have fed a whole village in the East; […]
- The Eastern Bloc; the eastern countries of Europe.
- the Soviet Union and its socialist allies during the Cold War.
- The Eastern Roman Empire.
- 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. The words may suggest that the Roman rite is in some way superior to those of the East: a fallacy now equally reprobated by Rome.
- The eastern states of the United States.
- A civil parish of Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
- A personification of the wind from the east. Near-synonyms: easter, levanter
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: easterly, e, eastside, eastbound, eastmost, easternmost, eastward, eastern, orient, due east, west, longitude, are, direction, center, central
adjective
Similar: of, pertaining to the east · Opposite: westward, westerly, antonym(s) of “of, pertaining to the east”
Translations
Every language
noun compass point
| Español | este, oriente, levante |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 동 dong, 새 sae, 동쪽) dongjjok |
| 日本語 | 東 higashi, 東方 tōhō |
| 中文 | 東 /东 dōng, 東方 /东方 dōngfāng |
| हिन्दी | पूर्व pūrv, मशरिक़ maśriq, शर्क़ śarq, शर्क śark, पूरब pūrab, पूर्वा pūrvā |
| Kiswahili | mashariki |
| Português | este, leste, oriente |
| Français | est, orient, levant |
| Deutsch | Osten, Ost |
| Italiano | est, oriente, levante |
| Ελληνικά | ανατολή anatolí |
| Română | est, orient, răsărit |
| Русский | восто́к vostók, ост ost |
| Tiếng Việt | đông, phía đông, hướng đông, phương đông |
| العربية | شَرْق šarq, مَشْرِق mašriq |
| עברית | מִזְרָח mizrákh, קֶדֶם kédem |
adj in or towards the east
| 日本語 | 東 higashi |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 東 /东 dōng |
| Português | ao leste, oriental |
| Français | à l'est |
| Italiano | orientale |
| Ελληνικά | ανατολικός anatolikós |
| Română | est |
| Русский | восто́чный vostóčnyj |
| العربية | شَرْقِيّ šarqiyy |
adj meteorology: easterly
| Português | do leste, leste |
|---|---|
| Français | de l'est |
| Italiano | di levante |
| Русский | восто́чный vostóčnyj |
| العربية | شَرْقِيّ šarqiyy |
adj of or pertaining to the east
| Español | oriental |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 東部 tōbu |
| Português | oriental |
| Français | de l'est |
| Italiano | orientale |
| Ελληνικά | ανατολικός anatolikós |
| Русский | восто́чный vostóčnyj |
| العربية | شَرْقِيّ šarqiyy |
adj from the East
| Español | oriental |
|---|---|
| Português | oriental |
| Français | oriental, orientale |
| Italiano | da est |
| Ελληνικά | ανατολικός anatolikós |
| Русский | восто́чный vostóčnyj |
| العربية | شَرْقِيّ šarqiyy |
adv towards the east
| Español | hacia el este, al este, rumbo al este |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 동쪽으로 dongjjog-euro |
| 日本語 | 東へ higashi e |
| Português | a leste, para o leste, em direção ao leste |
| Français | vers l 'est |
| Italiano | a est, verso est |
name Eastern world
| Español | oriente, Oriente |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 동양 Dong'yang, 동방 Dongbang, 오리엔트 Orienteu |
| 日本語 | 東洋 Tōyō, 東方 Tōhō, オリエント Oriento |
| 中文 | 東方 /东方 Dōngfāng, 東洋 /东洋 Dōngyáng |
| हिन्दी | पूरब pūrab, पूर्व pūrv |
| Português | levante, nascente, oriente, Oriente |
| Français | orient, levant |
| Deutsch | Osten, Orient |
| Italiano | oriente, levante, Oriente, Levante |
| Ελληνικά | ανατολή anatolí |
| Русский | Восто́к Vostók |
| Tiếng Việt | phương đông, Phương Đông |
| العربية | الْمَشْرِق al-mašriq, شَرْق šarq |
| עברית | מִזְרָח mizrákh |
name Eastern states of the US
| 한국어 | 동부 Dongbu |
|---|
name wind from the east
| Español | viento de levante, levante |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 東風 /东风 dōngfēng |
| Deutsch | Ostwind |
| Italiano | levante |
| Ελληνικά | Λεβάντες Levántes |
| Русский | ост ost, восто́чный ве́тер vostóčnyj véter |
Talk about this word "east." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/east. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. east. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/east "east." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/east.Cite this
@misc{east_2026,
title = {east},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/east},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
