Where does “Midwest” come from?
Midwest comes from English west, Middle English west, Old English west, Proto-Germanic westrą and westraz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wek(ʷ)speros, meaning evening or west.
Midwest (English): The area of the contiguous United States contained in the central third of the country, especially the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, sometimes inclusive of Missouri and Kentucky
Definitions
- The area of the contiguous United States contained in the central third of the country, especially the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, sometimes inclusive of Missouri and Kentucky
Ancestry of “Midwest”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | West | Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie |
| 2 | Middle English | west | west; A location to the south; the south; The... |
| 3 | Old English | west | west |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *westr | western, westernly |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | westrą | west; west, westward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | westraz | west, western |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wek(ʷ)speros | evening |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | we- | — |