I. ˈwest adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German westar to the west, Old Norse vestr and probably to Latin vesper, vespera evening, Greek hesperos
1. : to, toward, or in the west : westward
2. : to the realm of the departed beyond the sunset — used in the phrase to go west
realized what awaited her if I ‘went west ’ — Time
what had seemed a promising line of research had gone west — F.W.Crofts
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English west-, from west, adverb
1.
a. : situated toward or at the west
the west meadow
the west side of the house
b.
[Middle English, from Old English westan-, from westan, adverb; akin to Old High German westana from the west, Old Norse vestan; derivative from the root of English west (I) ]
: coming from the west
a west wind
2. : situated in the opposite direction from the altar of a church : lying in that part of the church directly opposite the chancel
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from west, adverb
1.
a. : the general direction of sunset : the direction towad the left of one facing north
b. : the part of the sky in which celestial bodies set ; specifically : the place on the horizon where the sun sets when it is near one of the equinoxes
c. : the cardinal point directly opposite to east — abbr. W ; see compass card
d. : the point of the horizon having an azimuth or bearing of 270° and marking one intersection of the horizon and the celestial equator : the direction of the sky's daily apparent rotation : the direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation and its revolution around the sun
2. usually capitalized
a. : regions or countries lying to the west of a specified or implied point of orientation (as in the United States the states lying in general west of the Mississippi river) ; specifically : the noncommunist countries of Europe and America
held discussions on disarmament proposals put forward by the West
b. : something (as people, culture, or institutions) characteristic of the West
a book such as this makes for closer understanding between the East and the West for the insight it gives into the Chinese mind — Times Literary Supplement
accused the West of plotting a new war — Sat. Eve. Post
the old West of gun-toting marshals and Pony Express
3. : the west wind
4. often capitalized
a. : the one of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies toward the west
b. : a person (as a bridge player) occupying such a position in the course of a specific activity
IV. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English westen, from west, adverb
: to move or veer toward the west
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
dialect England : sty IV