westerly
- moving, directed, or situated toward the west: the westerly end of the field.
- (especially of a wind) coming from the west: a westerly gale.
- toward the west: to escape westerly.
- from the west: a sharp wind blowing westerly.
- a wind that blows from the west: an occasional westerly that pommeled the island.
- westerlies, (used with a plural verb) any semipermanent belt of westerly winds, especially those that prevail at latitudes lying between the tropical and polar regions of the earth.
Origin of westerly
Examples from the Web for westerlies
Historical Examples of westerlies
The “westerlies” meet “easterlies” from the polar highs at about 50-60° N. and S.
DesertsA. S. Walker
Their rainfall regime is alternately that of the westerlies and of the trades.
Surface winds known as “westerlies” flow from the Horse Latitudes toward the poles.
DesertsA. S. Walker
There came a burst of afternoon westerlies which blew small hurricanes from noon to sundown.
Poor Man's RockBertrand W. Sinclair
On the polar margins of the trade-wind zone lie the sub-tropical belts, of alternating trades and westerlies.
Westerlies
- meteorol the prevailing winds blowing from the west on the poleward sides of the horse latitudes, often bringing depressions and anticyclones
westerly
- of, relating to, or situated in the west
- towards or in the direction of the west
- (esp of the wind) from the west
- a wind blowing from the west
Word Origin and History for westerlies
prevailing winds in certain latitudes, 1876, from westerly (see west).
westerly
late 15c., "in a westerly direction; facing toward the west," from Middle English wester (adj.) "western" (mid-14c.), from Old English westra, variant of westerne (see western) + -ly (2). Cf. Old Norse (adv.). Middle English also had a verb wester "to go west." Related: Westerlies (n.). Somewhat contradictory sense of "coming from the west" attested by 1570s.
westerly
- A wind, especially a prevailing wind, that blows from the west. The prevailing winds in the middle latitudes are westerlies. See illustration at wind.