due west
9
1.2
- noun
:
oeste puro
- To find the campsite, we need to walk due west for two miles.
- due west line
I think he said it was like due West of Odorne.
- I think he said it was like due West of Odorne.
Examples
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That's twelve klicks due west.
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Set course due west!
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Look, as long as we hold due west, we hit the river.
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If we cut across due west, we'll meet up with it again.
Fiction book (1994) -
If I head due west tomorrow, will I find places to trap?
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Head for the Thai border, 100 miles due west.
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Well, we're due west of Butler.
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We just got a distress call from a rig due west of us.
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Tex took off like a homing pigeon, straight for the river, due west.
Fiction book (1995) -
We are now on Bodmin Moor, 140 miles from Stonehenge and a mere, invigorating 20-mile walk due west to Tintagel Island!
Synonyms
247
1.0
The direction where the sun sets each evening
1
2.3
The direction toward the west on a compass
1
1.0
The direction on a map where the sun sets
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'directly west' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'due' (exactly/in the specified direction) with 'west' (the compass point). This simple compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard direction phrases, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Due west comes from using due to mean 'straight' or 'direct'. Imagine a compass needle pointing straight to the west; that's due west, so the phrase means 'directly west'.