Westerlee

Dutch

Etymology

• (Groningen) First attested as westerle in the 13th century. Compound of Old Frisian wester (“western, west-”) and a term cognate to Old Saxon hlêo (“burial mound”). The toponym contrasts with Heiligerlee. Compare Beneden-Leeuwen, Boven-Leeuwen, Leeuwen, Leeuwte, Denderleeuw, Gors-Opleeuw, Lauw, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and Zoutleeuw. See also Dutch Low Saxon Westerlij.
• (Zuid-Holland) First attested as Westerlee in 1869. Compound of wester- (“western, west-”) and the hydronym Lee (derived from lede (“excavated or channeled watercourse”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɛs.tərˌleː/
• Hyphenation: Wes‧ter‧lee

Proper noun

Westerlee n

1. a village and former municipality of Oldambt, Groningen, Netherlands
2. a hamlet in Westland, South Holland, Netherlands

References

• van Berkel, Gerard; Samplonius, Kees (2018), “Weesterlee”, in Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard‎ (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN