Etymology Explorer › Old High German

Where does “west” come from?

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

Ancestry of “west”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwestrąwest; west, westward
2Proto-Germanicwestrazwest, western
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwek(ʷ)sperosevening
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwe-—

Words derived from “west”

  • Wessi
  • westlich
  • prowestlich
  • westafrikanisch
  • Westafrika
  • Westen
  • West
  • wessi
  • vest
  • Westen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European we- →