*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of west

PIE word *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros From Middle English west, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr (“western”), from Proto-Germanic *westrą (“west”), from Proto-Germanic *westraz (“west”), from Proto-Indo-European *

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To move to the west; (of the sun), to set.

adv

Towards the west; westwards.

adj

Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward. · Of wind: from the west. · Of or pertaining to the west; western. · From the West; occidental.

noun

The direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°. · The western region or area; the inhabitants thereof. · In a church: the direction of the gallery, opposite to the altar, and opposite to the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

PIE word *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros From Middle English west, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr (“western”), from Proto-Germanic *westrą (“west”), from Proto-Germanic *westraz (“west”), from Proto-Indo-European *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros (“evening”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wast (“west”), North Frisian waast, weest, wäst (“west”), Saterland Frisian Wääste (“west”), West Frisian and Dutch west (“west”), German West (“west”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”), Faroese and Icelandic vestur (“west”), Swedish väst, väster (“west”); also with Irish feascar, feasgar (“evening; vespers”), Cornish gorthugher (“evening”), Manx fastyr (“afternoon, evening; vespers”), Scottish Gaelic feasgar (“afternoon, evening”), Latin vesper (“evening”), Ancient Greek ἕσπερος (hésperos, “evening; western”), Latvian vakars (“evening”), Lithuanian vakaras (“evening”), Czech, Slovak and Slovene večer (“evening”), Kashubian wieczór (“evening”), Polish wieczerz, wieczór (“evening”), Russian вечер (večer, “evening”), Serbo-Croatian вече, вечер, veče, večer (“evening”), Armenian գիշեր (gišer, “night”). Compare also Catalan oest (“west”), French ouest (“west”), Galician oeste, ueste (“west”), Italian ovest (“west”), Portuguese, Spanish oeste (“west”) (all ultimately borrowings of the Old English word).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
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      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:west"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*kʷséps\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*wek⁽ʷ⁾speros\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*westraz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*westr\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"west\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"west\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"west\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"west\">"
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        "3": "wek⁽ʷ⁾speros",
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      "name": "PIE word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "wek⁽ʷ⁾speros"
      },
      "expansion": "PIE word\n *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English west"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English west"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*westr",
        "t": "western"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *westr (“western”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*westrą",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *westrą (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*westraz",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *westraz (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*wek⁽ʷ⁾speros",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros (“evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "wast",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots wast (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "waast"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian waast"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Wääste",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Wääste (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy,nl",
        "2": "west",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian and Dutch west (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "West",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "German West (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da,nb,nn",
        "2": "vest",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo,is",
        "2": "vestur",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese and Icelandic vestur (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "väst"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish väst"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga",
        "2": "feascar"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish feascar"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kw",
        "2": "gorthugher",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Cornish gorthugher (“evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gv",
        "2": "fastyr",
        "t": "afternoon, evening; vespers"
      },
      "expansion": "Manx fastyr (“afternoon, evening; vespers”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gd",
        "2": "feasgar",
        "t": "afternoon, evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Scottish Gaelic feasgar (“afternoon, evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "vesper",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin vesper (“evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "ἕσπερος",
        "t": "evening; western"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ἕσπερος (hésperos, “evening; western”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lv",
        "2": "vakars",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Latvian vakars (“evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "vakaras",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian vakaras (“evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cs",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Czech"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sk",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovak"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sl",
        "2": "večer",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovene večer (“evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "csb",
        "2": "wieczór",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Kashubian wieczór (“evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pl",
        "2": "wieczerz"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish wieczerz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "вечер",
        "t": "evening"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian вечер (večer, “evening”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sh",
        "2": "вече"
      },
      "expansion": "Serbo-Croatian вече"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hy",
        "2": "գիշեր",
        "t": "night"
      },
      "expansion": "Armenian գիշեր (gišer, “night”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ca",
        "2": "oest",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Catalan oest (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "ouest",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "French ouest (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gl",
        "2": "oeste"
      },
      "expansion": "Galician oeste"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "it",
        "2": "ovest",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian ovest (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "oeste",
        "t": "west"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish oeste (“west”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:west"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*wek⁽ʷ⁾speros",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wek⁽ʷ⁾speros"
    ],
    [
      "west",
      "west#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "west",
      "west#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*westr",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/westr"
    ],
    [
      "*westrą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/westrą"
    ],
    [
      "*westraz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/westraz"
    ],
    [
      "*wek⁽ʷ⁾speros",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wek⁽ʷ⁾speros"
    ],
    [
      "wast",
      "wast#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "waast",
      "waast#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "weest",
      "weest#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "wäst",
      "wäst#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Wääste",
      "Wääste#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "West Frisian",
      "west#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "west",
      "west#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "West",
      "West#German"
    ],
    [
      "Danish",
      "vest#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "vest#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "vest",
      "vest#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "Faroese",
      "vestur#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "vestur",
      "vestur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "väst",
      "väst#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "väster",
      "väster#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "feascar",
      "feascar#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "feasgar",
      "feasgar#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "gorthugher",
      "gorthugher#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "fastyr",
      "fastyr#Manx"
    ],
    [
      "feasgar",
      "feasgar#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "vesper",
      "vesper#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ἕσπερος",
      "ἕσπερος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "vakars",
      "vakars#Latvian"
    ],
    [
      "vakaras",
      "vakaras#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "večer",
      "večer#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "wieczór",
      "wieczór#Kashubian"
    ],
    [
      "wieczerz",
      "wieczerz#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "wieczór",
      "wieczór#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "вечер",
      "вечер#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "вече",
      "вече#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "вечер",
      "вечер#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "veče",
      "veče#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "večer",
      "večer#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "գիշեր",
      "գիշեր#Armenian"
    ],
    [
      "oest",
      "oest#Catalan"
    ],
    [
      "ouest",
      "ouest#French"
    ],
    [
      "oeste",
      "oeste#Galician"
    ],
    [
      "ueste",
      "ueste#Galician"
    ],
    [
      "ovest",
      "ovest#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "oeste",
      "oeste#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To move to the west; (of the sun), to set."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
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    },
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      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Towards the west; westwards."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward.",
        "Of wind: from the west.",
        "Of or pertaining to the west; western.",
        "From the West; occidental."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°.",
        "The western region or area; the inhabitants thereof.",
        "In a church: the direction of the gallery, opposite to the altar, and opposite to the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for west →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-d2VzdA