I. ˈwestə(r)n, - R also -t ə n adjective
Etymology: Middle English westeren, westerne, from Old English westerne; akin to Old High German westrōni western, Old Norse vestrœnn, derivative from the root of English west (I)
1. often capitalized : of, relating to, originating or dwelling in, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated West: as
a. : steeped in or stemming from the Greco-Roman traditions of the Occident rather than those of Islam, India, or the Far East
the Western tradition began to take distinctive shape with the mingling of Greco-Roman and Hebraic-Christian elements in the later days of the Roman Empire — J.A.Corry
in the nineteenth century, the adoption of … superior Western technology appeared to Far Eastern statesmen to be a legitimate risk as well as an imperative necessity — A.J.Toynbee
barriers, between a western eye and the beauty of a Chinese vase — J.A.Macy
b. : of or relating to the noncommunist countries of Europe and America
western emphasis on individualism
American tendency to consult with the Western powers on what is good for Asia, instead of first consulting with the Asian nations themselves — Mochtar Lubis
c.
(1) : of or relating to the American West
western settlers
western plains
western cattle ranches
the western grosbeak closely resembles the rose-breasted grosbeak except in plumage
(2) : of or relating to folk music characteristic of the American West
favorite hillbilly — or, if you prefer, western — crooner — Ochiltree (Texas) County Herald
(3) : of or relating to a literary western
resorts to every typical Western element: the fugitive bandit, the sheriff in pursuit, the girl, the gun play, and the great outdoors — Delmore Schwartz
2.
a. : situated in or lying toward the west
around the western and southern sides of the track are grandstands — American Guide Series: Ind.
islands in the western half of the archipelago
b. : coming from the west — used chiefly of the wind
a western gale
c.
(1) : going toward or facing the west
the western voyage of Columbus
a room with a western exposure
(2) : corresponding to the westering course of the sun : declining
we … on the western side of life — H.W.Longfellow
3. usually capitalized : of or relating to the Roman Catholic and Protestant segment of Christianity
Western liturgies
— compare eastern orthodox
II. noun
( -s )
1. often capitalized : westerner
2.
a. : one that is produced in or characteristic of a western region and especially the western U.S.
ewes in this experiment were two-year-old westerns — W.C.Coffey
in felt hats ranchers prefer broad-brimmed westerns
b. : general american
c. : western sandwich
3. often capitalized : a story of frontier life
historical novels also rank high, and so do murder mysteries and Westerns — Bruce Bliven b. 1889
a traditional Western in a novel Australian setting — Films in Review
specifically : a play (as a moving picture or a radio or television play) dealing usually with life in the western United States during the latter half of the 19th century
rattling good western about the first cattle drive over the Chisholm Trail — Time
westerns, those simple … sagas of manly men and womanly women — Virginia Graham