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West Indies [West Indies 词源字典]: Caribbean islands explored by Columbus, 1550s, reflecting the belief (or hope) that they were western outliers of the Indies of Asia. Related: West Indian, which is from 1580s in reference to the native inhabitants, 1650s in reference to European settlers there, and 1928 in reference to people of West Indian ancestry.[West Indies etymology, West Indies origin, 英语词源]
wester (v.): "to go west, travel westward," late 14c., from west (adv.), and compare westerly. Related: Westered; westering.
westerlies (n.): prevailing winds in certain latitudes, 1876, from westerly (see west).
westerly (adv.): late 15c., "in a westerly direction; facing toward the west," from Middle English wester (adj.) "western" (mid-14c.), from Old English westra, variant of westerne (see western) + -ly (2). As an adjective, "coming from the west," 1570s. Contradictory sense of "going to the west" attested by 1630s.
western (adj.): "toward or of the west," late Old English westerne "western, westerly, coming from the west," from west + -erne, suffix denoting direction. The noun meaning "book or movie about the Old West" is first attested 1909. Westerner is from 1837 as "person from the U.S. West," 1880 as "Euro-American," as opposed to Oriental.
westernization (n.): also westernisation, 1873, noun of action from westernize (v.). Earliest reference is to Japan.
[The mikado's] late rapid and radical progress in westernization (to evolve a word that the Japanese will need) justifies great expectations of him. [Coates Kinney, "Japanning the English Language," "The Galaxy," July-Dec. 1873]
westernize (adj.): also westernise, 1837, originally in reference to the U.S. West, from western + -ize.
Emigrants from Europe have brought the peculiarities of the nations and countries from whence they have originated, but are fast losing their national manners and feelings, and, to use a provincial term, will soon become "westernized." [J.M. Peck, "A New Guide for Emigrants to the West," Boston, 1837]
In reference to Europeanizing of Middle Eastern or Asian places and persons, from 1867. Related: Westernized; westernizing.
westernmost (adj.): 1550s, from western + -most.
Westphalia: former duchy of Germany; the treaties which ended the Thirty Years War were signed there Oct. 24, 1648. Related: Westphalian.
westward (adv.): "toward the west," Old English westweard; see west + -ward.
wet (adj.): Old English wæt "moist, rainy, liquid," also as a noun. "moisture, liquid drink," from Proto-Germanic *weta- (source also of Old Frisian wet ). Also from cognate Old Norse vatr; all from PIE *wed- (1) "water, wet" (see water (n.1)). Of paint, ink, etc., "not yet dry" from 1510s. Opposed to dry in reference to the U.S. battles over prohibition from 1870. Wet blanket "person who has a dispiriting effect" is recorded from 1871, from use of blankets drenched in water to smother fires (the phrase is attested in this literal sense from 1660s).
Do we not know them, those wet blankets who come down on our pleasant little fires and extinguish them, with no more ruth than the rain feels when it pours on the encampment of the merry picnic party, or floods the tents of a flower show? ["Wet Blankets," in "Godey's Lady's Book and Magazine," February, 1871]
All wet "in the wrong" is recorded from 1923, American English; earlier simply wet "ineffectual," and perhaps ultimately from slang meaning "drunken" (c. 1700). Wet-nurse is from 1610s. The diver's wet-suit is from 1955. Wet dream is from 1851; in the same sense Middle English had ludificacioun "an erotic dream."
He knew som tyme a man of religion, þat gaff hym gretelie vnto chastitie bothe of his harte & of his body noghtwithstondyng he was tempid with grete ludificacions on þe nyght. ["Alphabet of Tales," c. 1450]
wet (v.): Old English wætan "to wet, moisten, water; be or become wet;" see wet (adj.). From mid-15c. as "to intoxicate" (oneself). Meaning "urinate" is by 1925. Related: Wetted; wetting.
wet (n.): Old English wæt (see wet (adj.)).
wetback (n.): "illegal Mexican immigrant to the U.S.," c. 1924, from wet (adj.) + back (n.); from notion of wading the Rio Grande.
wether (n.): "male sheep," especially a castrated one, Old English weðer "ram," from Proto-Germanic *wethruz (cognates: Old Saxon wethar, Old Norse veðr, Old High German widar, German Widder, Gothic wiþrus "lamb"), literally "yearling," from PIE root *wet- (2) "year" (cognates: Sanskrit vatsah "calf," Greek etalon "yearling," Latin vitulus "calf," literally "yearling").
wetland (n.): 1743, from wet (adj.) + land (n.).
wetness (n.): Old English wetnise; see wet (adj.) + -ness.
wey (n.): dry goods weight of fixed amount (but varying over time and place), Old English weg "scales, balance, weight" (see weigh).
wh-: respelling of Old English hw- attested from 11c., but not the common form until after c. 1400. It represents PIE *kw-; in German reduced to simple w-, in Scandinavian as hv-, kv-, or v-.

Also added to some borrowed words (whisk, whiskey) and some native words formerly spelled with simple w- or h- (whole, whore). In the 15c. flowering of its use it also threatened to change the spelling of hot, home and many more. In northern English 16c.-18c., sometimes altered to quh- (see Q). Proper pronunciation has been much in dispute in educated speech.
whack (v.): "to strike sharply," 1719, probably of imitative origin. The noun is from 1737. The word in out of whack (1885) is perhaps the slang meaning "share, just portion" (1785), which may be from the notion of the blow that divides, or the rap of the auctioneer's hammer. To have (or take) a whack at something "make an attempt" is from 1891. Related: Whacked; whacking. Whacked out is from 1969.