westing

The ship's westing brought it closer to the coast.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • Nautical or aviation term: "westing" refers to the distance traveled or the amount of progress made to the west, especially in navigation. It is the westward component of a vessel's or aircraft's course or drift.

2. Noun:

   • The direction of west: "westing" can also denote the westward direction itself, used in contexts like surveying or mapping to indicate a westward bearing or movement.

Usage Examples

• Nautical/Aviation:

  • The ship made 20 nautical miles of westing during the night. (The vessel traveled 20 miles westward.)
  • The pilot calculated the westing from the wind drift. (The pilot determined the westward displacement caused by wind.)

• General:

  • The surveyor recorded a westing of 10 degrees in the boundary line. (The line had a westward deviation of 10 degrees.)

Advanced Usage

• "to make westing": to sail or travel westward, often used in the context of long voyages.

  • The explorers made steady westing across the Atlantic. (They consistently progressed westward.)

• "westing and easting": a pair of terms used in navigation to describe the east-west components of a course, often contrasted with "northing" and "southing."

  • The navigator tracked both westing and easting to plot the ship's exact position. (The navigator monitored westward and eastward movements.)

Variants and Related Words

• West (n/adj/adv): the direction opposite east.

  • The sun sets in the west. (The sun sets in the western direction.)

• Western (adj): situated in or facing the west.

  • The western coast of the island is rocky. (The coast on the west side is rocky.)

• Westward (adv/adj): toward the west.

  • They sailed westward for three days. (They sailed in the direction of the west.)

Synonyms

• Westward progress: movement toward the west.
• Westward distance: the measure of travel in a westerly direction.
• Westing (in navigation): synonymous with "westward drift" or "westward component."

Phrasal Verbs

• No common phrasal verbs directly associated with "westing." However, related phrases include:
  • Head west: to move in a westerly direction.

    • The caravan headed west at dawn. (The caravan began traveling westward.)

Related Idioms

• Go west: to die or be lost (informal, historical slang).

  • After the battle, many brave soldiers went west. (They died or were lost.)

• Out west: in or to the western regions, especially the western United States.

  • He moved out west to start a new life. (He relocated to the western part of the country.)