osteuropäische

Ost europäische is a German attributive adjective meaning “from, relating to Eastern Europe.” It is used to describe people, cultures, languages, politics or things associated with the region. The term is not a precise geopolitical category; its geographic scope varies by author and context.

In practice, osteuropäische is applied to a broad area that commonly includes countries in the eastern part of Europe, such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states. Some sources extend the label to include parts of the Balkans or the Caucasus, while others reserve it for a narrower set of states. The term emerged from historical East–West dichotomies, notably the Cold War division of Europe, and continues to be used in academic writing, journalism, and cultural discourse.

The adjective often appears in phrases such as osteuropäische Sprachen, osteuropäische Länder or osteuropäische Küche. Because it touches on regional identity, the use of osteuropäisch (and its inflected forms like osteuropäische) can carry political or cultural connotations and may be considered imprecise in certain contexts. For more precision, authors may opt for specific country names, subregions (Mitteleuropa, Südosteuropa), or explicit cultural or linguistic groupings.