oostelijk

Oostelijk is a Dutch adjective meaning eastern or toward the east. It is used to describe geographic orientation, location, and directions, and can be translated as eastern or eastward in English. The term derives from oost (east) with the adjectival suffix -elijk, forming a descriptive word for things related to or situated in the east.

In usage, oostelijk agrees with the noun it modifies. The attributive form before a noun is typically oostelijke, as in de oostelijke wind or het oostelijke deel. In predicative position, after a linking verb, the form can appear as oostelijk, for example Het gebied ligt oostelijk. The word is commonly paired with other directional terms such as noordelijk, zuidelijk, and westelijk to describe relative location within a region or country.

Geographically and linguistically, oostelijk is used in both formal and everyday Dutch to describe parts of a country, city districts, and natural or infrastructural features that lie toward the east. It also appears in toponyms and administrative names, where it functions as part of a proper noun, for example Oostelijk Havengebied, an area in Amsterdam, or Oostelijk Flevoland as a regional designation. In contrast to the noun oosten, which denotes the concept of the east itself, oostelijk functions as an attributive descriptor.

See also: oost (east), oostelijk winds and weather terminology, regional and urban nomenclature in Dutch.