Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “westward” come from?

westward (Middle English) comes from Old English westweard, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr, from Proto-Germanic westrą, from Proto-Germanic westraz, from Proto-Indo-European wek(ʷ)speros, from Proto-Indo-European we-.

westward (Middle English): westward

Definitions

  1. westward

Ancestry of “westward”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwestweard—
2Old Englishwestwest
3Proto-West Germanic*westr—
4Proto-Germanicwestrąwest; west, westward
5Proto-Germanicwestrazwest, western
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwek(ʷ)sperosevening
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwe-—

Words derived from “westward”

  • westward
  • westwardly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European we- →