AskDefine | Define west

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The Collaborative Dictionary

West \West\, adv. [AS. west.] Westward. [1913 Webster]
West \West\, v. i. [1913 Webster]
To pass to the west; to set, as the sun. [Obs.] "The hot sun gan to west." --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
To turn or move toward the west; to veer from the north or south toward the west. [1913 Webster]
West \West\, n. [AS. west, adv.; akin to D. west, G. west, westen, OHG. westan, Icel. vestr, Sw. vest, vester, vestan, Dan. vest, vesten, and perhaps to L. vesper evening, Gr. ?. ????. Cf. Vesper, Visigoth.] [1913 Webster]
The point in the heavens where the sun is seen to set at the equinox; or, the corresponding point on the earth; that one of the four cardinal points of the compass which is in a direction at right angles to that of north and south, and on the left hand of a person facing north; the point directly opposite to east. [1913 Webster] And fresh from the west is the free wind's breath. --Bryant. [1913 Webster]
A country, or region of country, which, with regard to some other country or region, is situated in the direction toward the west. [1913 Webster]
Specifically: (a) The Westen hemisphere, or the New World so called, it having been discovered by sailing westward from Europe; the Occident. (b) (U. S. Hist. & Geog.) Formerly, that part of the United States west of the Alleghany mountains; now, commonly, the whole region west of the Mississippi river; esp., that part which is north of the Indian Territory, New Mexico, etc. Usually with the definite article. [1913 Webster] West by north, West by south, according to the notation of the mariner's compass, that point which lies 111/4[deg] to the north or south, respectively, of the point due west. West northwest, West southwest, that point which lies 221/2[deg] to the north or south of west, or halfway between west and northwest or southwest, respectively. See Illust. of Compass. [1913 Webster]
West \West\, a.
Lying toward the west; situated at the west, or in a western direction from the point of observation or reckoning; proceeding toward the west, or coming from the west; as, a west course is one toward the west; an east and west line; a west wind blows from the west. [1913 Webster] This shall be your west border. --Num. xxxiv.
[1913 Webster]
(Eccl.) Designating, or situated in, that part of a church which is opposite to, and farthest from, the east, or the part containing the chancel and choir. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] West end, the fashionable part of London, commencing from the east, at Charing Cross. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

west adj : situated in or facing or moving toward the west [ant: east]

Noun

1 the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North and South America [syn: Occident]
2 the cardinal compass point that is a 270 degrees [syn: due west, W]
3 the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River [syn: western United States]
4 British writer (born in Ireland) (1892-1983) [syn: Rebecca West, Dame Rebecca West, Cicily Isabel Fairfield]
5 United States film actress (1892-1980) [syn: Mae West]
6 English painter (born in America) who became the second president of the Royal Academy (1738-1820) [syn: Benjamin West] adv : to, toward, or in the west; "we moved west to Arizona"

Moby Thesaurus

W, antarctic, arctic, austral, boreal, cardinal points, compass card, compass rose, degrees, east, eastbound, easter, easterly, eastermost, eastern, easternmost, eastward, half points, hyperborean, lubber line, meridional, north, northbound, northeast, northeasterly, northeastern, norther, northerly, northern, northernmost, northward, northwest, northwesterly, northwestern, occident, occidental, orient, oriental, quarter points, rhumb, south, southbound, southeast, southeasterly, southeastern, souther, southerly, southern, southernmost, southward, southwest, southwesterly, southwestern, sunrise, sunset, westabout, westbound, wester, westerly, western, westernly, westernmost, westward, westwardly, westwards
Africa, America, Antipodes, Asia, Asia Major, Asia Minor, Australasia, Dixie, Dixieland, Down East, East, East Coast, Eastern Hemisphere, Eurasia, Europe, Far East, Levant, Middle Atlantic, Middle East, Middle West, Near East, New England, New World, North, North Central region, Northeast, Northwest, Occident, Oceania, Old World, Orient, Pacific Northwest, South, Southeast, Southwest, Sunbelt, West Coast, Western Hemisphere, Yankeeland, continent, down under, eastland, landmass, northland, the Coast, the old country, westland, wild West
see West

English

Pronunciation

/wɛst/
/wEst/

Etymology

Old English west

Noun

  1. One of the four principal compass points, specifically 270°, conventionally directed to the left on maps; the direction of the setting sun at an equinox.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

compass point

Adjective

west
  1. Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward.
  2. Of wind: from the west.
  3. Of or pertaining to the west; western.
  4. From the West; occidental.

Translations

towards the west
western
occidental

Adverb

west
  1. Towards the west; westwards.

Dutch

Adjective

west
  1. west

Kurdish

Noun

west, f
  1. act of tiring or getting tired

Derived terms

Old English

Etymology

Common Germanic *westam, whence also Old High German west, Old Norse vestr

Adverb

west
  1. west
''This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation).
West is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.
By convention, the left side of a map is west.
To go west using a compass for navigation, set a bearing or azimuth of 270°.
West is the direction opposite that of the Earth's rotation on its axis, and is therefore the general direction towards which the Sun sets.
West is also a last name.
Moving continuously west is following a circle of latitude, which, except in the case of the equator, is not a great circle.
The English word "west" is cognate to the Old High German word westar, which may derive from an Indo-European root from which the Latin word vesper, meaning "evening", derives.
"The West" often denotes the Western world. Although a somewhat subjective term (see North-South divide), it always includes the noncommunist countries of Europe and America.

Symbolic meanings

In Chinese Buddhism, the West represents movement toward the Buddha or enlightenment (see Journey to the West). The ancient Aztecs believed that the West was the realm of the great goddess of water, mist, and maize. In Ancient Egypt, the West was considered to be the portal to the netherworld, and is the cardinal direction regarded in connection with death, though not always with a negative connotation. Ancient Egyptians also believed that the Goddess Amunet was a personification of the West. The Celts believed that beyond the western sea off the edges of all maps lay the Otherworld, or Afterlife.
In American literature (eg. The Great Gatsby), moving west symbolizes gaining freedom, perhaps as an association with the settling of the Old West (see also Manifest Destiny).

References

west in Arabic: غرب
west in Azerbaijani: Qərb
west in Bosnian: Zapad
west in Breton: Kornôg
west in Bulgarian: Запад
west in Catalan: Oest
west in Czech: Západ
west in Corsican: Punenti
west in German: Westen
west in Estonian: Lääs
west in Spanish: Oeste
west in Esperanto: Okcidento
west in Basque: Mendebalde (geografikoa)
west in Persian: باختر
west in French: Ouest
west in Galician: Oeste
west in Korean: 서쪽
west in Croatian: Zapad
west in Icelandic: Vestur
west in Italian: Ovest
west in Hebrew: מערב
west in Kurdish: Rojava
west in Latvian: Rietumi
west in Lithuanian: Vakarai (pasaulio kryptis)
west in Lingala: Límbe
west in Lombard: Ovest
west in Marathi: पश्चिम दिशा
west in Dutch: West
west in Nepali: पश्चिम
west in Japanese: 西
west in Norwegian: Vest
west in Norwegian Nynorsk: Vest
west in Narom: Vouêt
west in Occitan (post 1500): Oèst
west in Polish: Zachód (kierunek)
west in Portuguese: Oeste
west in Romanian: Vest
west in Quechua: Kunti
west in Russian: Запад
west in Simple English: West
west in Slovak: Západ (svetová strana)
west in Church Slavic: Западъ
west in Slovenian: Zahod
west in Serbian: Запад
west in Serbo-Croatian: Zapad
west in Finnish: Länsi
west in Swedish: Väster
west in Tamil: மேற்கு
west in Telugu: పడమర
west in Thai: ทิศตะวันตก
west in Vietnamese: Hướng Tây
west in Turkish: Batı (yön)
west in Ukrainian: Захід
west in Venetian: Ovest
west in Walloon: Coûtchant (costé del Daegne)
west in Yiddish: מערב
west in Contenese: 西
west in Chinese: 西
west in Samogitian: Vakarā
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