westlich

Westlich is a German adjective and adverb meaning “western” or “toward the west.” It is used to describe geographic position, orientation, or regional affiliation, and appears in both everyday language and formal writing. As an adjective, westlich inflects like other descriptive adjectives: a westliche Region, der westliche Anteil, westlicher Einfluss, etc. It can also be used predicatively, as in Die Stadt liegt westlich des Flusses, or Die westliche Ausrichtung des Gebäudes.

In phrases that express position relative to something else, westlich von, westlich des/der, or westlich geschehen, is common. The adverbial form westlich is often interchangeable with westwärts in contexts emphasizing direction, though westwärts tends to convey movement toward the west, while westlich focuses on location or orientation. For example: Der Flughafen liegt westlich von Frankfurt. Die Westküste Europas ist bekannt für ihr Klima.

Etymologically, westlich derives from Old High German westlîh, related to the English western. It is contrasted with östlich (eastern) and, in directional terms, with ostwärts (toward the east) and westwärts (toward the west). In broader usage, westlich appears in discussions of the Western world, western Europe, or westliche Kulturen, where it denotes cultural or political commonalities associated with the West.

In summary, westlich is a versatile term for describing location, direction, and regional identity in German, with common opposites including östlich and ostwärts.