east-southeast
LowTechnical / Nautical / Meteorological / Formal
Definition
Meaning
The compass point or direction located midway between east and southeast.
A general direction or area that lies toward the east-southeast; used in navigation, meteorology (e.g., to describe wind direction), and general orientation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A compound intercardinal or ordinal direction, strictly defined as 112.5 degrees clockwise from north. It is a fixed point on a 32-point compass rose. Usage is primarily literal and directional.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or usage differences. The hyphenated form is standard in both variants. Pronunciation differences follow general UK/US patterns for the constituent words.
Connotations
Neutral technical term in both variants.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency and specialized in both dialects, common in sailing, aviation, and weather reporting contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The [noun] is located east-southeast of [location].We set a course of [number] degrees, roughly east-southeast.A [force] wind is blowing from the east-southeast.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Potentially used in logistics (e.g., 'The shipment is approaching from the east-southeast.') or in describing geographic market areas.
Academic
Used in geography, earth sciences, and navigation studies when giving precise directional data.
Everyday
Very rare in casual conversation. Might be used in detailed travel or location descriptions (e.g., hiking, property boundaries).
Technical
Standard term in navigation (nautical/aeronautical), meteorology (wind reports), surveying, and cartography.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adverb
British English
- The storm is moving east-southeast at 15 knots.
- We sailed east-southeast for most of the day.
American English
- The front will progress east-southeast overnight.
- Fly east-southeast until you reach the river.
adjective
British English
- The ship encountered an east-southeast gale.
- We plotted an east-southeast course from the harbour.
American English
- An east-southeast wind brought cooler air.
- They took an east-southeast heading.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The island is east-southeast of the mainland.
- The wind comes from the east-southeast today.
- Setting a bearing of 112 degrees will take you roughly east-southeast.
- The weather system is tracking on an east-southeast trajectory.
- The navigator corrected our course to a precise east-southeast heading to avoid the coastal shallows.
- Prevailing winds in the channel are predominantly east-southeast during the summer months.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a clock face where East is 3 o'clock and Southeast is 4:30. East-southeast is exactly halfway between them, at about 4 o'clock.
Conceptual Metaphor
DIRECTION IS A POINT ON A COMPASS / PRECISE LOCATION IS A BEARING.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate word-for-word as 'восток-юговосток'. The correct Russian equivalent is the single compound term 'юго-восток-восток' or, more commonly, the abbreviation 'ЮВВ' (ESE).
- Avoid confusing it with 'southeast' (юго-восток) or 'east-southeast' with the more common 'southeasterly'.
Common Mistakes
- Writing as one word ('eastsoutheast') or three separate words ('east south east'). The standard form is hyphenated: 'east-southeast'.
- Confusing it with the adjacent point 'southeast' (135°) or 'east by south' (101.25°).
- Using it in non-directional contexts where a simpler term (like 'southeast') would suffice.
Practice
Quiz
What is the precise compass bearing in degrees for east-southeast (ESE)?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Southeast is a cardinal intercardinal direction (135°). East-southeast is an ordinal direction, located halfway between east (90°) and southeast (135°), at 112.5°.
It is almost universally abbreviated as 'ESE' in technical contexts like navigation charts, weather maps, and aviation communications.
You would use it when greater precision is required, typically in navigation, aviation, sailing, meteorology, or surveying. In everyday conversation, 'southeast' or 'roughly southeast' is almost always sufficient.
Yes, the standard written form is hyphenated: 'east-southeast'. This distinguishes it as a single, compound compass point.