östra

Östra is a Swedish adjective meaning eastern or situated toward the east. It is used to indicate the eastern part of a place, region, or object and appears in everyday speech to describe geography, orientation, or layout, for example “östra delen av staden” or “östra sidan av sjön.” In many contexts, especially in urban planning and navigation, it denotes a direction relative to a reference point.

In toponymy, Östra frequently functions as a component of place names to mark eastern districts, neighborhoods, or administrative divisions within municipalities. It may appear alone as a district label or combined with a following noun, such as “Östra hamnen” or “Östra området” in various localities. The form is the attributive version of the adjective that agrees with the noun it modifies.

Etymology: Östra derives from Old Norse austr and Proto-Germanic *austr-, related to the Swedish noun öster meaning “east.” The term shares cognates with other Germanic languages referring to the eastern direction, reflecting a common Nordic linguistic heritage.

See also: Öster (east); other Swedish toponyms that use the element Östra to indicate eastern parts of municipalities or regions.