Where does “west” come from?

west (Low German) comes from Low German wesen, from Middle Low German wēsen, from Old Saxon wesan, from Proto-West Germanic wesan, from Proto-Germanic *wesaną, from Proto-Indo-European wes- — to dress, clothe.

west (Low German): past participle of wesen

Definitions

  1. past participle of wesen

Ancestry of “west”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Low GermanwesenTo be, to exist
2Middle Low Germanwēsento be
3Old Saxonwesanto be
4Proto-West Germanicwesanto be
5Proto-Germanic*wesaną—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwes-to dress, clothe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wes- →Every word from Proto-Germanic *wesaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wesan →