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Westphalia

American  
[west-fey-lee-uh, -feyl-yuh] / wɛstˈfeɪ li ə, -ˈfeɪl jə /

noun

  1. a former province in NW Germany, now a part of North Rhine-Westphalia: treaty ending the Thirty Years' War 1648.


Westphalia British  
/ wɛstˈfeɪlɪə /

noun

  1. German name: Westfalen.  a historic region of NW Germany, now mostly in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Example Sentences

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Since the modern nation-state system was organized by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1688, state sovereignty has been the bedrock of international law.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

"We know that there is a lot of money circulating right now," Stephanie Thien, head of the state office for combating financial crime in North-Rhine Westphalia, told AFP.

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

Last summer, Göttingen in Lower Saxony and Siegen in North Rhine Westphalia allowed women to swim topless.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2023

Cities across the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, including Cologne, Leverkusen and Bonn, were also affected by public service worker strikes on Monday.

From Reuters • Feb. 27, 2023

It was replied that Hungary was outside the operation of the treaty of Westphalia, and that the Protestants had been condemned not ex odio religionis but crimine rebellionis.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 8 "Hudson River" to "Hurstmonceaux" by Various

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