/ iːst; NAmE / noun , adjective , adverb
■ noun [ U , sing. ] ( abbr. E )
1.
(usually the east ) the direction that you look towards to see the sun rise; one of the four main points of the compass :
Which way is east?
A gale was blowing from the east.
a town to the east of (= further east than) Chicago
—compare north , south , west
2.
(also East ) the eastern part of a country, region or city :
I was born in the East, but now live in San Francisco.
3.
the East the countries of Asia, especially China, Japan and India
4.
the East (in the past) the Communist countries of Eastern Europe :
East-West relations
■ adjective [ only before noun ]
1.
(also East ) ( abbr. E ) in or towards the east :
East Africa
They live on the east coast.
2.
an east wind blows from the east
—compare easterly
■ adverb
towards the east :
The house faces east.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English ēast- , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch oost and German ost , from an Indo-European root shared by Latin aurora , Greek auōs dawn.