West Germany

Meaning

Proper Noun

• The Federal Republic of Germany, distinguished from the German Democratic Republic ("East Germany").
• The former areas of the Republic during that time, distinguished from the former East German areas.
• A collective name for the British-, French-, and American-occupied zones of Germany, distinguished from the Soviet-occupied zone.

Related

Similar words

• Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, BRD)
• Germany
• German State

Origin

• From informal use describing the British-, French-, and American-occupied zones of Germany following World War II, under influence from existing German Westdeutschland and Westdeutscher used to describe those areas of German-speaking Europe since the 17th and 18th centuries.