Westward

How to spell westward

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce westward

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does westward mean?

1. adverbToward the west; in the direction in which the sun sets.
2. adjectiveFacing or situated toward the west.

Westward in a sentence

• adverb

  The settlers travelled westward across the plains in search of land.

• adjective

  The westward slope of the hill catches the afternoon sun.

• adverb

  Our flight continued westward until it reached the coast.

• adjective

  They admired the westward view from the balcony at sunset.

Where does westward come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends directly from Old English westweard, formed by joining west, the name of the compass point where the sun sets, with the suffix -weard, meaning 'turned toward' or 'in the direction of'. That suffix is the same one preserved in toward, forward, and backward, and it ultimately traces to an ancient Germanic root meaning 'to turn'. West itself is a native Germanic word with cousins across the family, such as German Westen and Dutch westen. The combined form has been used in English for over a thousand years to mean 'moving or facing toward the west', and its spelling has stayed remarkably stable. The single trap is simply remembering the -ward ending and not slipping in an extra letter or writing the plural -wards form when the bare word is wanted.

How the word is built

• west (the compass direction)
• -ward (Old English -weard: turned toward, in the direction of)