- east
- east [ēst]n.[ME est < OE east, akin to Ger osten, ON austr < Gmc base * aust-, dawn < IE base * awes-, to shine, dawn > L aurora, dawn, aurum, gold]1. the direction to the right of a person facing north; direction in which sunrise occurs: it is properly the point on the horizon at which the center of the sun rises at the equinox2. the point on a compass at 90°, directly opposite west3. a region or district in or toward this directionadj.1. in, of, to, toward, or facing the east2. from the east [an east wind]3. [E-] designating the eastern part of a continent, country, etc. [East Africa]4. in, of, or toward the altar of a churchadv.in or toward the east; in an easterly direction——————the East☆ 1. the eastern part of the U.S.; specif.,a) the part east of the Allegheny Mountains, from Me. through Md.b) the part east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio2. the Eastern Hemisphere; specif., Asia and the nearby islands
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.