Where does “east” come from?

East comes from Middle English est, from Old English ēast, from Proto-Germanic austrą, from Proto-Indo-European aus-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwsros, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ews-.

east (English): One of the four principal compass points,...

Definitions

  1. One of the four principal compass points,...

Ancestry of “east”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishesteast, easternness; A location to the south; the...
2Old Englishēasteast; eastern
3Old Norseaustreast
4Proto-Germanicaustrąeast; east, eastward
5Proto-Germanicaustrazeast, eastern
6Proto-Indo-European*h₂éwsterosin the direction of dawn, east

Words derived from “east”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsteros →Every word from Proto-Germanic austraz →Every word from Proto-Germanic austrą →