Westdeutschland

German

Etymology

From West +‎ Deutschland.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈvɛstdɔɪ̯t͡ʃˌlant]
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: West‧deutsch‧land

Proper noun

Westdeutschland n (proper noun, strong, genitive Westdeutschlands)

  1. Western Germany:
    1. a geographic region of Germany, consisting of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland
    2. a geographic region of Germany, consisting of 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)
  2. (historical, 1949–1990) West Germany (a former country in Central Europe, distinguished from the German Democratic Republic, commonly known as East Germany)

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.

See also

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