Origin and history of west

"one of the four cardinal points of the compass; point or direction toward the sunset or away from the east; western part of any place;" Old English west (n., adj., adv.), from Proto-Germanic *west- (source also of Old Norse vestr, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch west, Old High German -west, only in compounds, German west), which is of uncertain origin.

Perhaps from PIE *wes-, reduced form of *wes-pero- "evening, night" (source also of Greek hesperos, Latin vesper "evening, west;" see vesper). Compare also High German dialectal abend "west," literally "evening." French ouest, Spanish oeste are from English.

The West in geopolitical senses is by 1860s, first in reference to Europe as "the western part of the world" (as opposed to Asia); in World War I it was Britain, France, Italy as opposed to Germany and Austria-Hungary. As contrasted to Communist Russia (later to the Soviet bloc), by 1918.

The west country of England so called from late 14c. West Coast in reference to the U.S. is from 1850; West End of London is from 1776 (notable 19c. for fashionable shopping; West-ender is by 1833); West Side of Manhattan is attested by 1858.

The U.S. West "western states and territories" originally (1790s) meant those just beyond the Alleghenies; the sense shifted as the country grew, but the term never was precisely defined.

To go west "die" was "common during the Great War" [OED, 1989], perhaps from Celtic imagery or from the notion of the setting sun. In early 17c. in London it meant "be hanged," in allusive reference to Tyburn. In U.S., in a literal sense of "emigrate to the western states or territories," it is attested from 1830. The colloquial direction of dying in U.S. is in go south.