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West

//wɛst// adj, adv, name, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective

1
Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward. not-comparable
2
Of wind: from the west. not-comparable
3
Of or pertaining to the west; western. not-comparable
4
From the West; occidental. not-comparable
5
Designating, or situated in, the liturgical west, that part of a church which is opposite to, and farthest from, the part containing the chancel. not-comparable
"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 ..."

Adjective

1
situated in or facing or moving toward the west wordnet

Adverb

1
Towards the west; westwards.
"This thoroughfare bears (to the) West."

Adverb

1
to, toward, or in the west wordnet

Proper Noun

1
A placename:; The western world; i.e. the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. countable, uncountable
2
A placename:; The Western Bloc (the non-communist nations of Europe and America). countable, historical, uncountable
"When I came to Washington forty-seven years ago, the predominant issue was ensuring that the United States would step up to the communist threat, both abroad and at home. The ultimate satisfaction is to have lived long enough to see the West defeat communism and begin a new, equally arduous, equally noble campaign to ensure the victory of freedom, both abroad and at home."
3
A placename:; The Western United States (sometimes excluding the West Coast), particularly (historical) in reference to the 19th century Wild West. US, countable, uncountable
"I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West."
4
A placename:; The Western Roman Empire, or its successors. countable, historical, uncountable
5
A placename:; The part of the Christian Church whose traditions and practices originated in the territories of the former Western Roman Empire, including the Roman Catholic Church and the churches of the Reformation. countable, uncountable
"I shall constantly reckon among the Saints those whom the Eastern Church, whether with or without the consent of the West, so accounts."

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6
A placename:; A town in Holmes County, Mississippi, United States. countable, uncountable
7
A placename:; A city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. countable, uncountable
8
A placename:; An unincorporated community in Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
9
A placename:; A number of townships in the United States, in Illinois (2), Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania, listed under West Township. countable, uncountable
10
Regions or countries lying to the west of a specified or implied point of orientation. countable, uncountable
11
The western part of any region. countable, uncountable
"Senegal is a nation that lies in the West."
12
One of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies to the west or on the left of a diagram. countable, uncountable
13
A person (as a bridge player) occupying this position during a specified activity. countable
14
A surname from Middle English for a newcomer from the west, or someone who lived to the west of a village. countable
"Kanye West took to social media to speak about mental health after a fan claimed that the rapper was “off his meds”."

Noun

1
The direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°.
"We used to live in the west of the country."
2
a location in the western part of a country, region, or city wordnet
3
The western region or area; the inhabitants thereof.
4
the cardinal compass point that is at 270 degrees wordnet
5
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.
"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."

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6
the direction corresponding to the westward cardinal compass point wordnet

Verb

1
To move to the west; (of the sun) to set.
"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."

Etymology

Etymology 1

PIE word *wek(ʷ)speros From Middle English west, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr (“western”), from Proto-Germanic *westrą (“west”), from Proto-Germanic *westraz (“west”), from Proto-Indo-European *wek(ʷ)speros (“evening”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wast (“west”), North Frisian waast, weest, wäst (“west”), Saterland Frisian Wääste (“west”), West Frisian, Dutch west (“west”), German West (“west”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”), Faroese, Icelandic vestur (“west”), Swedish väst, väster (“west”); also with Irish feascar, feasgar (“evening; vespers”), Cornish gorthugher (“evening”), Manx fastyr (“afternoon, evening; vespers”), Scottish Gaelic feasgar (“afternoon, evening”), Latin vesper (“evening”), Ancient Greek ἕσπερος (hésperos, “evening; western”), Latvian vakars (“evening”), Lithuanian vakaras (“evening”), Czech, Slovak and Slovene večer (“evening”), Kashubian wieczór (“evening”), Polish wieczerz, wieczór (“evening”), Russian вечер (večer, “evening”), Serbo-Croatian вече, вечер, veče, večer (“evening”), Armenian գիշեր (gišer, “night”). Compare also Catalan oest (“west”), French ouest (“west”), Galician oeste, ueste (“west”), Italian ovest (“west”), Portuguese, Spanish oeste (“west”) (all ultimately borrowings of the Old English word).

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

Etymology 5

* In most senses and as an English surname, from west, the direction. * As a Finnish surname, Americanized from Vesterinen.

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