Westraliann.adj.
/wɛˈstreɪlɪən/, U.S. /wɛˈstreɪliən/, /wɛˈstreɪljən/, Australian English /weˈstræeliən/, /weˈstræeljən/ A. n.
1. A native or inhabitant of the state (formerly colony) of Western Australia.
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1891 E. H. Hallack W. Austral. & Yilgarn Goldfields 34 Parting advice to Westralians is—try and inculcate the principles of self-help.
1918 R. H. Knyvett ‘Over There’ with Australians v. xxix. 298 Only the Westralians were really home, and some of these had two or three hundred miles to go.
1957 Canad. Jrnl. Econ. & Polit. Sci. 23 225 Even Sir John Forrest, champion of Western Australian interests before, during, and after Federation, did not escape censure from his fellow Westralians.
2007 G. Haigh All Out 170 There is a big difference between an empty and a full cricket ground, and Westralians seem determined to enjoy themselves.
2. plural. Stock Market. Shares in companies (esp. mining companies) with interests in Western Australia. Now historical.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > share > shares in specific country or industry
railway share1822
railroad shares1828
railway stock1836
railroads1848
Canada1868
coalers1878
Mets1886
industrial1887
golds1888
Kaffir1889
electrics1892
rails1893
Westralians1894
kangaroo1896
coppers1899
the junglea1901
electricals1901
Rhodesians1901
diamonds1905
Siberians1906
steels1912
utility1930
properties1964
engineer1976
mining1983
1894 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 Oct. 5/2 In the Mining market Chartereds have been put up a good fraction... Westralians are also active.
1900 Westm. Gaz. 17 Aug. 7/1 The boom in Westralians which does not come off.
1916 Times 31 Aug. 10/2 Westralians were adversely affected by the labour trouble.
1990 J. J. van Helten in J. J. van Helten & Y. Cassis Capitalism in Mature Econ. viii. 170 Frenzied trading in ‘kaffirs’ and Westralians all but dominated Stock Exchange business..throughout 1895–7 in London as well as..Paris.
B. adj.
Of or relating to Western Australia.
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the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Australasia > [adjective] > Australia > Western Australia
Westralian1892
1892 West Austral. (Perth) 23 Jan. 3/2 The following will represent the Westralian C.C. [= Cricket Club] in the above match.
1896 Economist 25 Apr. 532/2 Westralian shares have been somewhat more freely dealt in.
1914 G. Taylor in A. J. Herbertson & O. J. R. Howarth Oxf. Surv. Brit. Empire: Australasia ii. 82 The region from Oodnadatta to the Westralian goldfields is still desolate.
1987 Sunday Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 1 Mar. The Japanese fishing boats and beached pearling luggers that [Robert] Juniper litters about his flat Westralian landscape.
2009 C. Ryan Golden Boy xi. 202 Eleven Days to Purgatory summed up the progress of another charismatic Westralian son.
Derivatives
Weˈstralianism n. now rare unscrupulous business practice of a kind associated with some mining companies operating in Western Australia in the early 20th cent.
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the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Antipodes > native or inhabitant of Australia > [noun] > parts of > quality
Westralianism1905
1905 Economist 15 Apr. 643/2 We hear a great deal of Westralianism just now, and it does not..suggest a very exalted idea of scrupulous and upright dealings.
1911 Mining Jrnl. 7 Jan. 3/2 It is a gratifying testimony to the present reputation of West Australian mining that there has been no cry of ‘Westralianism’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.adj.1891