Derived from the verb dyo ('to set, sink'), this noun denotes the quarter where the sun goes down—the west. It nearly always appears in the plural (dysmai) and is typically paired with anatolai ('east, rising') to indicate the full compass of the earth. Jesus declares that many will come 'from east and west' to recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom (Matt 8:11; Luke 13:29), using the merism to signify universality. The lightning-flash analogy—'as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west' (Matt 24:27)—emphasizes the unmistakable, horizon-spanning visibility of the Son of Man's coming. In Luke 12:54, a cloud rising 'from the west' signals impending rain, reflecting Palestinian weather patterns where moisture comes off the Mediterranean. Spanish 'occidente' and French 'occident' both derive from Latin occidere ('to fall, set'), mirroring the Greek etymology precisely.