Where does “West” come from?

West comes from Middle English west, Old English west, and Proto-Germanic westrą and westraz, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European wek(ʷ)speros and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root we-.

West (English): Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie

Definitions

  1. Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie

Ancestry of “West”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwestwest; A location to the south; the south; The...
2Old Englishwestwest
3Proto-West Germanic*westrwestern, westernly
4Proto-Germanicwestrąwest; west, westward
5Proto-Germanicwestrazwest, western
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwek(ʷ)sperosevening
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwe-—

Words derived from “West”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European we- →
West — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer