Where does “West” come from?

West (German) comes from Middle High German west, from Old High German west, from Proto-Germanic westrą, from Proto-Germanic westraz, from Proto-Indo-European wek(ʷ)speros, from Proto-Indo-European we-.

West (German): the west; a wind coming from the west

Definitions

  1. the west; a wind coming from the west

Ancestry of “West”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanwestwest
2Old High Germanwestwestward
3Proto-Germanicwestrąwest; west, westward
4Proto-Germanicwestrazwest, western
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwek(ʷ)sperosevening
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwe-—

Words derived from “West”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European we- →