western

¹west·ern

adjective \ˈwes-tərn\

Definition of WESTERN

1

a : coming from the west <a western storm>

b : lying toward the west

2

capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated West: as

a : steeped in or stemming from the Greco-Roman traditions <Western culture>

b : of or relating to the noncommunist countries of Europe and America

c : of or relating to the American West <Western clothes>

3

capitalized : of or relating to the Roman Catholic or Protestant segment of Christianity <Western liturgies>

— west·ern·most \-ˌmōst\ adjective

Examples of WESTERN

1. the western part of the state
2. Old western movies are my favorites.

Origin of WESTERN

Middle English westerne, from Old English; akin to Old High German westrōni western, Old English west

First Known Use: before 12th century

²western

noun

Definition of WESTERN

1

: one that is produced in or characteristic of a western region and especially the western United States

2

often capitalized : a novel, story, motion picture, or broadcast dealing with life in the western United States especially during the latter half of the 19th century

First Known Use of WESTERN

1612

Other Broadcasting Terms

continuity, dissolve, fade, feed, remote, residual, spike, wipe

western

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Genre of novels and short stories, motion pictures, and television and radio shows set in the American West, usually during 1850–1900, when the area was opened to white settlement. Though basically an American creation, it has counterparts in the gaucho literature of Argentina and in tales of the settlement of the Australian Outback. Conflicts between white pioneers and Native Americans and between cattle ranchers and fence-building farmers form two basic themes. Cowboys, the town sheriff, and the U.S. marshal are staple figures, and lawlessness and gun violence are standard. Owen Wister's The Virginian (1902) is regarded as the seminal western novel; the popularity of the genre peaked in the early and middle decades of the 20th century and declined somewhat thereafter.