Westdeutschland
German
Etymology
West + Deutschland.
Proper noun
Westdeutschland n (genitive Westdeutschlands)
- Western Germany
- The states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
- The above plus Bremen and western parts of Lower Saxony, Hesse, and Baden-Württemberg (perhaps roughly on a line from the mouth of the Elbe to Lake Constance).
- (historical) West Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany in its territories between 1949 and 1990, often including West Berlin (which was not officially part of it). [post-1949]
Usage notes
- While Ostdeutschland still refers chiefly to the territories of the former GDR, Westdeutschland is now used in the historic sense chiefly in specific contexts (especially in comparison to Ostdeutschland). Otherwise the geographic sense is commoner. Nevertheless, formations like der Westen Deutschlands or das westliche Deutschland are sometimes preferred for clarity.
Related terms
- Westdeutscher
- Westen
- Wessi
- Deutschland
See also
- BRD
- Mitteldeutschland