Westphalia

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin Westphalia, from Middle Low German Westvâlen, ultimately from the root of German Westfalen, which see. Related to Low German Westfaolen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɛstˈfeɪljə/

Proper noun

Westphalia

1. (politics) Westfalen, a subdivision (“Landschaftsverband”) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
2. Westfalen, a region of Germany in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.
3. (historical) A former realm of Germany.
   • 1759, George Sale et al., “The Modern Part of an Universal History”, in History of the German Empire, volume XXIX, page 2:

     Since the reign of Charlemagne, this country is divided into High and Low Germany... the provinces of Lower Germany towards the north conſiſt of the Low Country of the Rhine, Triers, Cologn, Mentz, Weſtphalia, Heſſe, Brunſwic, Miſnia, Luſatia, High Saxony upon the Elbe, Low Saxony upon the Elbe, Mecklenburg, Lauenburg, Brandenburg, Magdeburg, and Pomerania.

4. A city in Iowa.
5. A city in Kansas.
6. A village in Michigan.
7. A city in Missouri.

Related terms

• Eastphalia

Translations

province of Germany

• Catalan: Westfàlia
• Czech: Vestfálsko (cs) n
• French: Westphalie (fr) f
• Georgian: ვესტფალია (vesṭpalia)
• German: Westfalen (de)
• Greek: Βεστφαλία (el) f (Vestfalía)
• Italian: Westfalia f
• Latin: Vestphalia, VVestphalia, Westphalia
• Limburgish: Wesfale
• Low German:

  Dutch Low Saxon: Westfalen f

  German Low German: Westfalen, Westfolen (Paderbornisch), Westfaolen (Münsterländisch)

• Portuguese: Vestfália (pt) f, Vestefália f, Westfália (pt) f
• Romanian: Westfalia
• Russian: Вестфалия (ru) f (Vestfalija)
• Spanish: Westfalia, Vestfalia

Further reading

• Westphalia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “Westphalia”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “Westphalia”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.