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
Ancestry of “west”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Low German | wesen | — |
| 2 | Middle Low German | wēsen | — |
| 3 | Old Saxon | wesan | to be |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wesan | to be |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *wesaną | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wes- | to dress, clothe |