Crossword Genius

Harsh wind from south and east (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

austere

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'harsh' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'wind from south and east' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'wind' could be 'auster' (I've seen this before) and 'auster' is located in the answer.
'east' could be 'e' ('E' can be a synonym of 'east') and 'e' is found within the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for austere that I've seen before include "Serious" , "Spartan and abstemious" , "Severely simple and plain in appearance" , "Abstemious, strict" , "Without luxury or ornament" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.