west

PIE word
*wek(ʷ)speros

From Middle English west, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr, from Proto-Germanic *westrą.

Cognate with Scots wast, Saterland Frisian Wääste, West Frisian west, Dutch west, German West, Danish vest. Cognate also with Old French west, French ouest, Spanish oeste, Portuguese oeste, Catalan oest, Galician oeste, Italian ovest (all ultimately borrowings of the English word). Compare also Latin vesper (“evening”), with which it is possibly cognate via Proto-Indo-European.

• enPR: wĕst, IPA^(key): /wɛst/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst

west (plural wests)

2. The direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°.

   Alternative form: (abbreviation) W

   We used to live in the west of the country.

   Portugal lies to the west of Spain.

3. The western region or area; the inhabitants thereof. [circa 1300]
4. (ecclesiastical) In a church: the direction of the gallery, opposite to the altar, and opposite to the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem.
   • 1997, John Haskell, John Callanan, Sydney Architecture, UNSW Press, →ISBN:

     In two respects, however, the cathedral [of St. Mary's in Sydney, Australia] differs from English traditions: it is oriented north-south, not east-west; and its main entry is from the south (liturgical west) between the two towers, in the French manner.

   • 2000, Mark L. MacDonald, The Chant of Life: Liturgical Studies Four, Church Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, page 98:

     The seating for honored persons (clergy) is at the liturgical west, opposite the entrance and lectern.

   • 2007, Patrick Malloy, Celebrating the Eucharist: A Practical Ceremonial Guide for Clergy and Other Liturgical Ministers, Church Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, page 155:

     In most worship spaces, this will put the thurifer and gospeller facing liturgical west, book bearer facing liturgical east (or the book on the reading desk), and the torch bearers turned inward, facing the book.

   • 2014, Paul Porwoll, Against All Odds: History of Saint Andrew's Parish Church, Charleston, 1706-2013, WestBow Press, →ISBN, page 365:

     Throughout the book I refer directionally to the altar and chancel of St. Andrew's as situated at ecclesiastical east (to avoid overcomplicating matters), not geographical or magnetic southeast. Thus, the altar is located at the east end of the church, and the gallery, at the west.

(compass points)

northwest	north	northeast
west		east
southwest	south	southeast

Also see Appendix:Cardinal directions for translations of all compass points

west

1. Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward.
2. (meteorology) Of wind: from the west.
3. Of or pertaining to the west; western.
4. From the West; occidental.
5. (ecclesiastial) Designating, or situated in, the liturgical west, that part of a church which is opposite to, and farthest from, the part containing the chancel.
   • 2008, Philip Temple, Northern Clerkenwell and Pentonville, Paul Mellon Ctr for Studies, →ISBN, page 356:

     Interior in 1925, (left) looking north to chancel and (right) looking south (to liturgical west end) It was on account of this connection that St James's became the clowns 'church', an annual clowns' service being held there ...

   • 2017, Stephen Kite, Building Ruskin's Italy: Watching Architecture, Routledge, →ISBN, page 48:

     as in the mosaic of the ascension on San Frediano's liturgical west (geographically east) façade.

   • 2019, Sarah Hosking, "Coventry Cathedral", in Prickett Stephen Prickett, Edinburgh Companion to the Bible and the Arts, Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 371:

     Spence had decided on a huge image of Christ on the [liturgical] east end [which is the geographic north], filling the entire wall and to be visible through the [liturgical] West Window (Fig. 24.2).

west (not comparable)

1. Towards the west; westwards.

west (third-person singular simple present wests, present participle westing, simple past and past participle wested)

1. To move to the west; (of the sun) to set. [from 15th c.]
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Prologue”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Foure times his place he shifted hath in sight, / And twice has risen, where he now doth West, / And wested twice, where he ought rise aright.

• ESWT, Stew, Tews, ewts, stew, tews, wets

From English west.

west m

1. west

• gorlewin
• howlsedhes

• howldrehevel
• howldrevel

• north-west (“north-west”)
• soth-west (“south-west”)

From Middle Dutch west, from Old Dutch west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr, from Proto-Germanic *westrą. Compare German West, English and West Frisian west, Danish vest.

• IPA^(key): /ʋɛst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: west
• Rhymes: -ɛst

west

1. (only in compounds) west
2. westwards

• westwaarts

• oost

• (compass points)

noordwest	noord	noordoost
west		oost
zuidwest	zuid	zuidoost

• westen
• westelijk

• Afrikaans: wes
• Negerhollands: west
• → Papiamentu: wèst

Unadapted borrowing from English west.

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛst/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ɛst
• Hyphenation: wèst

west m (invariable)

1. West (historic area of America)

Borrowed from German West.

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɛst/
• Rhymes: -ɛst
• Syllabification: west

west m inan

1. (fishing) west

   Synonyms: zôchód, zôpôd

• (compass points)

Normal names
norda północ zôchód pòrénk wschód pôłnie
Fishing names
nordwest norda nordóst west óst zudwest zuda zudóst

• Jan Trepczyk (1994) “zachód”, in Słownik polsko-kaszubski (in Kashubian), volumes 1–2
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “zachód”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[1]
• “west”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka, Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

west

1. past participle of wesen

From Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *west, *westr, from Proto-Germanic *westrą, from *westraz, from Proto-Indo-European *wek(ʷ)speros (“evening”).

• wæst, weeste, weste

• IPA^(key): /wɛst/
• Rhymes: -ɛst

west

2. west (compass point)
3. A location to the south; the south
4. The west wind

• (compass point): north, east, south

• Westmestre
• westen (“to move west”)

• westen (“west”)
• westerne
• westward

• English: west
• Scots: wast

west

2. west, western
3. At the west

• English: west
• Scots: wast

west

2. To the west, westwards, westbound
3. From the west, western
4. In the west

• English: west
• Scots: wast

• “west, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 29-03-2018.
• “west, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 29-03-2018.
• “west, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 29-03-2018.

west

1. Alternative form of weste (“desolate”)

west

1. Alternative form of westen (“to move west”)

west f

1. act of tiring or getting tired

From Proto-West Germanic *westr, see also Old High German west, Old Norse vestr.

• IPA^(key): /west/

west

1. west
   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     [Wiht] is þrittiġes mīla lang ēast ⁊ west, ⁊ twelf mīla brād sūð ⁊ norð.

     [Wight] is thirty miles long east-to-west and twelve miles wide north-to-south.

• westdǣl
• westrihte
• westweard

• Middle English: west
  • English: west
  • Scots: wast
• → Old French: west (see there for further descendants)

Borrowed from Old English west.

west

1. west

• French: ouest
  • → Catalan: oest
  • → Galician: oeste
  • → Italian: ovest
  • → Portuguese: oeste
  • → Spanish: oeste

wēst

1. second-person present indicative of witan