West

West, west, n. the quarter where the sun sets: one of the four chief points of the compass: the direction faced when one stands with his back to the high altar of a church: the countries to the west of Europe.—adj. situated towards or coming from the west: opposite the high altar of a church.—adv. towards the west.—v.i. (Spens.) to move towards the west.—adv. West′-about′, towards the west.—v.i. Wes′ter (obs.), to turn westward.—adjs. Wes′tering (Milt.), passing to the west; Wes′terly, lying or moving towards west: from the west.—adv. towards the west.—adj. Wes′tern, situated in the west: belonging to the west: moving towards, or coming from, the west.—n. an inhabitant of a western region or country.—ns. Wes′terner, a person belonging to the west; Wes′ternism, an idiom or other characteristic of western people.—adj. Wes′ternmost, furthest to the west.—n. Wes′ting, space or distance westward: departure westward: time of setting or reaching the west.—adv. West′ling, towards the west.—adj. West′most, most westerly.—adj. and adv. West′ward, towards the west.—advs. West′wardly, West′wards, towards the west.—Western Church, the Latin Church, as distinguished from the Eastern or Greek Church; Western Empire, the western division of the later Roman Empire; Western States, the states of the American Union lying west of the Alleghanies.—Westward ho! to the west! an old cry of London watermen plying westwards. [A.S. west (Fr. ouest, Ice. vestr); prob. conn. with Ice. vist, abode, L. vesper, Gr. hespera.]