westerly

¹

[wes-ter-lee]

adjective

1. moving, directed, or situated toward the west.

   the westerly end of the field.

2. (especially of a wind) coming from the west.

   a westerly gale.

adverb

1. toward the west.

   to escape westerly.

2. from the west.

   a sharp wind blowing westerly.

noun

plural

westerlies 

1. a wind that blows from the west.

   an occasional westerly that pommeled the island.

2. (used with a plural verb),  westerlies, any semipermanent belt of westerly winds, especially those that prevail at latitudes lying between the tropical and polar regions of the earth.

Westerly

²

[wes-ter-lee]

noun

1. a town in SW Rhode Island.

westerly

/ ˈwɛstəlɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated in the west

adverb

1. towards or in the direction of the west

2. (esp of the wind) from the west

noun

1. a wind blowing from the west

westerly

1. A wind, especially a prevailing wind, that blows from the west. The prevailing winds in the middle latitudes are westerlies.

2. See illustration at wind

westerly

1. See prevailing westerlies.

Other Word Forms

• westerliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of westerly¹

1570–80; west + -erly, as in easterly

Example Sentences

However, as it often the case this time of year, as we transition out of summer and into autumn, we're now seeing a more westerly influence to the weather.

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Meteorologists say it was mainly because of the interaction between the already existing monsoon system in the Indian subcontinent and westerly disturbances, a low pressure system that originates in the Mediterranean region and travels eastward.

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India's weather agency said the floods are being caused by the repeated interactions between monsoon currents and weather systems like westerly disturbances.

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"Once they started heading in a westerly direction one of the 'drones' appeared to converge with them and fly above and in front of them," the report said.

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On Wednesday though those brisk westerlies switch more to a south-westerly flow which will start to draw some hotter weather in across parts of the UK.

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