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 and Dutch west (“west”), German West (“west”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”), Faroese and 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).
1
The direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°.
We used to live in the west of the country.
Portugal lies to the west of Spain.
2
The western region or area; the inhabitants thereof.
3
Ecclesiastical, Lifestyle, Religion 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.1997, John Haskell, John Callanan, Sydney Architecture, UNSW Press, →ISBN:
The seating for honored persons (clergy) is at the liturgical west, opposite the entrance and lectern.2000, Mark L. MacDonald, The Chant of Life: Liturgical Studies Four, Church Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, page 98:
2 more examples
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.2007, Patrick Malloy, Celebrating the Eucharist: A Practical Ceremonial Guide for Clergy and Other Liturgical Ministers, Church Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, page 155:
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.2014, Paul Porwoll, Against All Odds: History of Saint Andrew's Parish Church, Charleston, 1706-2013, WestBow Press, →ISBN, page 365:
Derived terms
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north-northwest, northwest, North West Bend, North West Cape, North West Province, Nyah West, out west, Pagolingin West, Para Hills West, Passage West, Pata West, Picola West, Poblacion West, Port Augusta West, Portland West, Port Pirie West, Purnim West, Pyap West, Queanbeyan West, Quinte West, Rathscar West, Redmond West, Renmark West, Rich Avon West, Riding Mountain West, Risca West, Rise of the West, Robeston West, Rome of the West, Rosedale West Side, Salisbury West, Sampao West, San Francisco West, San Jose West, Santo Domingo West, Slender West Lake, Somerset West and Taunton, south-southwest, southwest, South West Rocks, South West Slopes, Spanish West Indies, St Kilda West, Sun City West, Sunshine West, Swan Hill West, Swanwater West, Tahara West, Talbot West, Teachers Village West, Teddywaddy West, Timboon West, Timor West, Tinamba West, Toolamba West, Tresco West, Tritlington and West Chevington, Tweed Heads West, Ucarty West, Unincorporated Far West, Wandearah West, Waratah West, Warragul West, Watchem West, Waterford West, Wessex, West, West Acre, West Acton, West Addison, West Africa, West African hemorrhagic fever, West Africa Time, West Albury, Westall, West Allen, West Alvington, West Ambrym, West Amwell, West Aramaic, West Ardsley, West Arnhem, West Atlantic trumpetfish, West Auckland, West Azerbaijan, West Bagborough, West Baldwin, West Ballidu, West Ballina, West Bath, West Bathurst, West Baton Rouge Parish, West Bay, West Beach, West Bedlington, West Bend, West Bendigo, West Berkshire, West Betuwe, West Binnu, West Bird's Head, West Bletchley, West Bloomfield, West Bloomfield Township, Westbourne Park, West Boylston, West Branch, West Brattleboro, West Bridgewater, West Bridgford, West Briton, West Brompton, West Bromwich, West Bronx, Westbrook, West Brookfield, West Brunswick, West Buckfastleigh, West Buckland, West Bundaleer, West Bungawalbin, West Burton, Westbury, West Busselton, West Buxton, Westby, West Byfleet, west by north, west by 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West Lincoln, West Lindsey, West Linn, West Linton, West Lockinge, West Los Angeles, West Lothian, West Lulworth, West Lynn, West Lyons River, West Mackay, West Malling, West Manchester, West Markham, West Marlborough, West Marmara, Westmead, Westmeadows, West Medford, West Medway, West Melbourne, West Meon, Westmere, West Mersea, West Milford, West Millbury, West Milton, Westminster, West Monkseaton, West Monkton, west monsoon, Westmont, West Montagu, West Moonah, West Moor, West Mooreville, West Moors, Westmoreland, Westmorland, Westmount, West Newbury, West Newfield, West Newton, West New York, West Nicholson, West Nipissing, West Northamptonshire, West Norwalk, West Norwood, West Nowra, Weston, Westonia, West Ossipee, West Oxfordshire, West Palestine, West Palm, West Palm Beach, West Paris, West Pawlet, West Peabody, West Pennant Hills, West Pennard, West Pennsboro, West Perth, West Philadelphia, West Pine, West Pingelly, West Pinjarra, West Plains, West Poblacion, West Point, West 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west
adj
Etymology
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 and Dutch west (“west”), German West (“west”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”), Faroese and 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).
1
Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward.
Designating, or situated in, the liturgical west, that part of a church which is opposite to, and farthest from, the part containing the chancel.
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 ...2008, Philip Temple, Northern Clerkenwell and Pentonville, Paul Mellon Ctr for Studies, →ISBN, page 356:
as in the mosaic of the ascension on San Frediano's liturgical west (geographically east) façade.2017, Stephen Kite, Building Ruskin's Italy: Watching Architecture, Routledge, →ISBN, page 48:
1 more example
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).2019, Sarah Hosking, "Coventry Cathedral", in Prickett Stephen Prickett, Edinburgh Companion to the Bible and the Arts, Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 371:
west
adv
Etymology
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 and Dutch west (“west”), German West (“west”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”), Faroese and 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).
1
Towards the west; westwards.
This thoroughfare bears (to the) West.
west
verb
Etymology
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 and Dutch west (“west”), German West (“west”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”), Faroese and 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).
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.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Prologue”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC: