West Germany

English

Etymology

From informal use describing the British-, French-, and American-occupied zones of Germany following World War II, under influence from existing German Westdeutschland and Westdeutscher used to describe those areas of German-speaking Europe since the 17th and 18th centuries.[1]

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

West Germany

  2. (historical, 1949–1990) A former country in Central Europe, distinguished from the German Democratic Republic, commonly known as East Germany. Official name: Federal Republic of Germany.
  4. (since 1990) A geographic region of Germany, consisting of the states formerly part of the Cold War-era West Germany, also known as Western Germany.
  5. (historical, uncommon, 1945–1949) Collectively, the British-, French-, and American-occupied zones of Germany, distinguished from the Soviet-occupied zone.

Synonyms

Translations

References

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "West German, adj. and n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2012.
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