down east

English

Alternative forms

• Down East
• Downeast

Etymology

• Typically traced to 1817 nautical terminology referring to direction not location: in the warm months, the prevailing winds along the Atlantic coast of New England and Canada blow from the southwest, meaning ships sail downwind to go east.

Noun

down east

1. Northeastern New England (particularly the easternmost section of the U.S. state of Maine) and Canada's Maritime provinces (sometimes including the Gaspé Peninsula and Newfoundland), an area that corresponds to the historical French territory of Acadia.

Adjective

down east

1. Of the Maritimes, Maine or adjoining parts.

   Down East fiddling

Adverb

down east

1. In or into the Maritimes, Maine or adjoining parts.

Derived terms

• down-easter

References

• "down east", in OED Online, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Further reading

• Down East on Wikipedia