/ west; NAmE / noun , adjective , adverb
■ noun [ U , sing. ] ( abbr. W )
1.
(usually the west ) the direction that you look towards to see the sun go down; one of the four main points of the compass :
Which way is west?
Rain is spreading from the west.
He lives to the west of (= further west than) the town.
—compare east , north , south
2.
the West Europe, N America and Canada, contrasted with Eastern countries :
I was born in Japan, but I've lived in the West for some years now.
3.
the West ( NAmE ) the western side of the US :
the history of the American West
—see also the Midwest , the Wild West
4.
the West (in the past) Western Europe and N America, when contrasted with the Communist countries of Eastern Europe :
East-West relations
■ adjective [ only before noun ] ( abbr. W )
1.
in or towards the west :
West Africa
the west coast of Scotland
2.
a west wind blows from the west
—compare westerly
■ adverb
towards the west :
This room faces west.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German west , from an Indo-European root shared by Greek hesperos , Latin vesper evening.