östlig

Östlig is a Swedish adjective meaning eastern or eastward. It describes things related to the east in space, direction, or geography. Common uses include wind direction (en östlig vind or östliga vindar), geographic descriptions (östra delen av landet, det östliga området), and aspects of climate or culture associated with the east (östra kustklimat, östliga traditioner). The adverbial counterpart is österut, meaning toward the east, while the opposite adjective is västlig.

Etymology and form: The term stems from öst meaning east, with the suffix -lig forming adjectives that express a quality. It has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, for example norsk østlig and dansk østlig.

Grammatical usage: Östlig inflects for gender and number. Examples include: en östlig vind (indefinite, common gender), ett östligt område (indefinite, neuter), den östliga vinden (definite, common), det östliga området (definite, neuter), östliga vindar (indefinite plural), de östliga vindarna (definite plural).

Usage notes: In contemporary Swedish, östlig appears in formal, scientific, geographic, and descriptive contexts. In everyday speech, speakers often prefer phrases such as österut for direction or den östra delen for a more natural, common phrasing. The term is neutral in tone; it is not tied to any specific political or cultural connotation.

See also: västlig, öster (direction or noun), österut (eastward adverb), östra (eastern/ northern forms), østlig (Norwegian), østlig (Danish).