westerlyadj.n.
/ˈwɛstəli/, U.S. /ˈwɛstərli/ A. adj.
1.
a. Situated in or towards the west; western.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > West > [adjective]
westwardeOE
westOE
westerOE
westernOE
occidentalc1400
Occidenta1500
Hesperiana1547
westerly1549
westenc1550
westernly1575
westernlyc1595
setting1612
westwardly1651
ponent1667
westing1669
westlin1720
occasive1802
westland1818
westwards1838
1549 W. Thomas Hist. Italie f. 1 Thei of France, of Spaine, of Germanie, and of all other westerlie places.
1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. ii. i. f. 49v/1, in R. Holinshed Chron. I Two waters..whereof the westerly called Basingwater, commeth from Basingstoke.
1584 R. Norman tr. C. Antoniszoon Safegard of Sailers f. 10 The most westerly houses of Wieringhen.
a1609 F. Vere Commentaries (1657) 51 Flores and Corvo, the westerliest Islands of the Azores.
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 677 But the more Westerly part is not so fruitfull.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. iii. 147 This Table..sheweth how much a Ship is more..Easterly or Westerly, by sailing upon any Point..of the Compass.
1765 R. Rogers Conc. Acct. N. Amer. (title page) The Interior, or Westerly Parts of the Country, upon the Rivers St. Laurence, the Mississippi, [etc.].
1792 E. Burke Let. (1968) VII. 204 We were a little uneasy from the steady prevalence of Winds in the Westerly quarter.
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 381 All the water on the westerly side of the town, was of a clear wine colour.
1870 Daily News 1 Feb. The eight twelve-pounders moved forward from one of the more westerly batteries.
1931 C. E. Munroe & J. E. Tiffany Physical Testing Explosives 124 The magazines..and other structures used by the explosives division occupy a tract of about 10 acres at the westerly end.
1978 J. G. MacGregor John Rowand i. 2 Umfrieville was in charge of that company's most westerly post on the Saskatchewan.
2005 Pilot Oct. 122/2 About fifteen miles north of the largest, most westerly island, Inishmore.
b. Of a person: originating from or living in the west. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of specific region > [adjective] > western people
westeOE
westernOE
westerly1624
1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia iv. 143 A few of the Westerly Runnagados had conspired against the..King.
1830 Westm. Rev. Oct. 337 His [sc. Herodotus's] Europe..extended beyond the Pillars of Hercules, and its most westerly inhabitants were the Cynesii.
1865 W. G. Palgrave Narr. Journey through Arabia II. xiv. 241 Nor are more westerly historians always exempt from similar weaknesses.
1986 R. B. Morrison & C. R. Wilson Native Peoples xiii. 271 The Inuvialuit (the most westerly Inuit of Canada).
c. Of the sun, part of the sky, etc.: situated near the western horizon.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > West > [adjective] > part or place
westOE
westland1523
westerly1801
west side1858
1801 R. Southey Thalaba II. vi. v. 6 Nor stayed he till over the westerly heaven The shadows of evening had spread.
1829 W. Scott Anne of Geierstein III. vii. 197 The distant landscape, partly illumined, with ominous lustre, by the now westerly sun.
1867 S. S. Robbins Edged Tools x. 127 Down upon this little boy, sitting there in the long afternoon shadow, slanted the westerly sun.
1937 Massachusetts: Guide to Places & People (Federal Writers' Project) 334 In late afternoon the light over the dunelands is..a clear, soft golden-mauve, compounded of the slanting rays of the westerly sun, the tremendous open horizon, [etc.].
2001 D. Anderson Fire Road 120 The hour is dusk and the bar of westerly sun is dimming.
2. Esp. of the wind: coming from the west.
ΚΠ
1550 W. Lynne tr. J. Funke Actes & Hist. Worlde 1532–50 in tr. J. Carion Thre Bks. Cronicles f. ccviv In the begynnyng of the Winter arose manye horryble and tempestuous Westerly and also Southerly wyndes.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 20 What time so euer it be doone, you must looke that the winde be Westerly.
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles xv. 101 Is this wind Westerlie that blowes? View more context for this quotation
1690 in W. Foster Eng. Factories India 1618–21 (1906) 221 A fine gentle westerlie sea winde blowing.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. iii. 140 The westerly winds..are almost perpetual in that part.
1799 R. Kirwan Geol. Ess. 356 It appears that, the Baltic is much less salt than the ocean, and that it is salter under a westerly than under an easterly wind.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. x. 641 She..had been detained in Holland..by strong westerly winds.
1868 F. H. Joynson Metals in Constr. 116 Even the weather has to be consulted,—a westerly-wind day is the best.
1886 R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped xiii. 114 She tore through the seas at a great rate, pitching and straining, and pursued by the westerly swell.
1949 Times 10 Nov. 5/1 A westerly airstream will cover most of the British Isles.
2001 P. J. G. Ransom Snow, Flood & Tempest v. 98 The line ran along the foot of sand dunes from which sand drifted over the track in westerly gales.
3. Extending or directed towards the west; facing the west.
ΚΠ
1637 R. Norwood Sea-mans Pract. ix. 106 Then shall you have..the Latitudes and Longitudes of all places as you Sayle, which may more easily and exactly be exprest upon this Chart, then the Easterly or Westerly Distances.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. iii. 153 The Westerly [distance] is 1695/ 100 Leagues.
1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker II. 101 A westerly situation, exposed to the vapours of the Atlantic ocean.
1802 C. Findlater Gen. View Agric. County of Peebles 18 The hills..of a southerly or westerly exposure, are generally more verdant.
1843 W. H. Prescott Hist. Conquest Mexico I. iii. i. 395 Where the vapors from the ocean, touching in their westerly progress, maintain a rich verdure throughout the year.
1878 S. Newcomb Pop. Astron. i. ii. 58 The westerly motion of the latter [planet].
1930 Times 13 Sept. 7/1 Patrols..reported the westerly movement of one of these brigades.
1965 C. N. Van Deventer Introd. Gen. Aeronaut. ix. 201/2 The reaction force, which is equal to the acceleration force, propels the balloon in the westerly direction shown.
1995 Muskoka (Ont.) Real Estate Guide 13 Sept. 5/4 (advt.) 3 bedroom cottage... 333 ft. frontage with 4 acres of land and beautiful westerly exposure.
B. n.
A wind blowing from the west. Frequently in plural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > wind > [noun] > global system > specific winds of
trade wind1652
westerly1845
variable1846
anti-trade wind1853
brave west winds1883
counter-trade1917
roaring forties1953
1845 Aberdeen Jrnl. 5 Feb. Five masts of the six are hinged for lowering, when..contrary gales shall appear to have set in, as the westerlies do at the certain seasons of the year.
1876 W. J. J. Spry Cruise Her Majesty's Ship ‘Challenger’ v. 109 The strong westerlies caused the weather to be of such a boisterous character.
1898 Jrnl. School Geogr. (U.S.) Oct. 303 The beginning of the régime of the prevailing westerlies came at about latitude 40° S.
1943 National Geographic Mag. Dec. 645/2 The westerlies ride up over the cold polar air, and this boundary, between cold and warm air..is known as the ‘polar front’.
1982 W. L. Heat Moon Blue Highways ix. ii. 345 A westerly had blown in strong, and the little Cape Porpoise fleet was returning early.
2007 Guardian 20 Aug. 33/1 Persistent westerlies blowing up the Bristol Channel have brought a number of seabird sightings off this coast in the past few weeks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
westerlyadv.
/ˈwɛstəli/, U.S. /ˈwɛstərli/ 1. Towards the west; in a westerly direction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > West > [adverb]
westeOE
west-abouteOE
westeneOE
westwardeOE
bewest1016
westwardsOE
westly1440
westerlya1470
westwardly?1520
westernly1590
west-away1599
westlins1718
west-by1790
a-west1807
wessel1815
westlandways1820
nightwards1855
westbound1888
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) III. 1251 He departed and rode westirly.
1538 in J. Robertson Illustr. Topogr. & Antiq. Aberdeen & Banff (1857) III. 18 Fra that passand westerly to the north neuk of the Hely fald.
1583 G. Peckham True Rep. Newfound Landes iv. sig. E.iv The cheefest cause why our Englishmen doo not goe so farre westerly..is for that they haue no succour and known safe harbour in those partes.
1625 R. Hynmers tr. W. Blaeu Sea-mirrour iii. 3 You must goe first southwest or somwhat westerly to the Helder.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. iii. 154 S.W.b.W. ½ Westerly 190 Leagues.
1680 J. Collins Plea Irish Cattell 7 Our Ships..Westerly or Southerly bound, Victual here.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 147 We began to Steer away Westerly.
1771 Cook's 1st Voy. 26 A small white cloud..from which a train of fire issued, extending itself westerly.
1795 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Essex 87 Crossing the great road, and proceeding thence westerly through Shenfield.
1835 W. Irving Tour on Prairies 70 Our plan was..to keep westerly, until we should pass through..the Cross Timber.
1863 Daily Tel. 6 Apr. The principal channel..running in a straight line with the opening between the heads, westerly, out to sea.
1891 W. C. Russell Marriage at Sea I. ii. 51 We're going to get a breeze..; nothing to harm..if it don't draw westerly.
1924 Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Daily Jrnl. 19 May 5/2 Running..westerly at right angles with Main Street.
1933 Rotarian Apr. 2/2 Leaving Boston going westerly over the famous Mohawk Trail to North Adams, Mass.
1997 Northern Echo (Nexis) 24 Sept. 3 Margaret..witnessed a bright light heading westerly over Tow Law just before 9am.
2. With reference to the wind: from the west.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > wind > [adverb] > from the west
westerly1556
1556 S. Borough in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1599) II. i. 280 Friday, the gale of winde began to increase, and came Westerly withall.
1600 F. Pretty in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) III. 816 Wee..lay off and on from the saide cape of S. Lucar vntill the fourth of Nouember, and had the windes hanging still Westerly.
a1643 W. Monson Naval Tracts i, in A. Churchill & J. Churchill Coll. Voy. (1704) III. 191/2 The Wind would chop up Westerly.
1708 London Gaz. No. 4443/3 The Wind blowing fresh Westerly, oblig'd 'em to anchor.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. vii. 214 We found the wind to hang westerly.
1816 J. K. Tuckey Narr. Exped. River Zaire (1818) ii. 51 The winds now came more westerly.
1864 A. Strickland Lives Queens Eng. (new ed.) X. 215 The wind blew westerly.
1907 Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 31 Oct. 4/5 Can you tell us whether..the wind was blowing westerly or easterly?
1992 Tiimes (Nexis) 11 Aug. (Sports section) As the winds turned westerly, Ocean Leopard slowly pulled into the lead.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.1549adv.a1470