'Western-style' is formed from the adjective 'western' and the noun 'style'. 'Western' originates from Old English 'west' (meaning 'west') with the adjectival suffix '-ern'. 'Style' originates from Latin 'stilus' (a writing implement), passed into Old French as 'estile' and into English with senses of 'manner' or 'mode'.

'Western' developed from Old English forms built on 'west' plus the suffix '-ern' to mean 'of or toward the west' and became the adjective 'western'; 'style' changed from Latin 'stilus' to Old French 'estile' and Middle English 'stile', later yielding modern English 'style'. The compound 'Western-style' is a straightforward modern English combination of these elements.

Originally, 'western' primarily meant 'toward or of the west' and 'style' referred to a writing tool and later 'manner'; over time 'style' shifted to mean 'manner or fashion', and 'western' came to denote cultural/geographical characteristics, so 'Western-style' now means 'in the manner or fashion of the West'.