Coming from or moving toward the west; situated in or facing the western direction. Often used to describe winds, travel routes, or geographical orientations.
From Middle English westerne plus the suffix -ly, following the pattern of other directional words. The suffix -ly originally meant 'having the characteristics of,' making westerly literally mean 'having western characteristics.'
Westerly winds have shaped human history more than most people realize - they powered the Age of Exploration by helping European ships reach the Americas, and they still drive much of our weather patterns today. Meteorologists particularly value westerly winds because they typically bring fair weather in temperate zones, unlike their stormy easterly counterparts.
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