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Glite Dictionary
southeast by east

southeast by east

7.5
A compass direction that is a little east of southeast at about 124 degrees from north
  • noun
translation icon : sudeste por este
  • The ship adjusted its course to southeast by east to avoid the storm.

Examples

  • At sunrise, the wind began to blow from the southeast by east.

  • On the old map, the treasure is marked southeast by east of the main bay.

  • The ship sailed towards southeast by east.

  • We need to adjust our course to southeast by east.

  • The treasure chest is located southeast by east of the lighthouse on the map.

  • We need to head southeast by east to reach our destination before nightfall.

  • The meteorologist reported that the wind direction will shift to southeast by east later today.

Synonyms

SEbE
vssoutheast by east
  • Archaic
9.9

A compass direction just east of southeast

is written in full words rather than as an abbreviation

Surface Forms

southeast by east singular
southeast by easts plural

Morphology

southeast + by + east

The constituents 'southeast' and 'east' make it clear this is a directional term and the particle 'by' signals a slight shift toward east from southeast, so a learner can infer it denotes a direction a bit east of southeast. However, the precise technical meaning (one compass point east of southeast, 123.75°) depends on specialised compass nomenclature rather than ordinary composition, so full comprehension requires domain knowledge.

Etymology

Southeast by east comes from old compass language used by sailors and mapmakers. It means a little toward east from southeast, the next small point on the compass. So, when someone says southeast by east, they mean the direction just a bit east of 'southeast'.