Western Islands
- proper noun
:
Islas Occidentales
- The Gaelic culture is still vibrant on the Western Islands of Scotland.
Examples
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The Western Islands are known for their stunning landscapes.
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We spent our summer vacation exploring the rugged beauty of the Western Islands.
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Many migratory birds can be spotted in the Western Islands during the spring and autumn months.
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Have you ever visited the Western Islands?
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Many migratory birds can be spotted in the Western Islands during the spring and autumn months.
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The Gaelic culture is still vibrant on the Western Islands of Scotland.
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We spent our summer vacation exploring the rugged beauty of the Western Islands.
Synonyms
2
7.1
A group of more than 500 islands off the west coast of Scotland
A group of islands off the west coast of Scotland, also called the Outer Hebrides, including Lewis and Harris
A group of islands off the northwest coast of Scotland known for rough hills, wild beaches, and Gaelic culture
A group of over 500 islands off Scotland's west coast known for wild coasts and wildlife
A group of more than 500 islands off the west coast of Scotland
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a group of islands located in the west' is directly and compositionally derived from 'western' (toward the west) + 'islands' (pieces of land surrounded by water). As a regular locational place-name following common cross‑linguistic patterns, a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would understand the basic referent even if they do not know the specific archipelago.
Etymology
Western Islands comes from a simple idea: these are the islands to the west of mainland Scotland. Because people long ago called that group the islands to the 'west', the name now refers to the same group also called the 'Outer Hebrides'.