north

See also: North and norþ

English

Etymology

From Middle English north, from Old English norþ, cognate with various Germanic counterparts such as Dutch noord, West Frisian noard, German Nord, Danish and Norwegian nord, all from a Proto-Germanic *nurþrą, and cognate with Greek νέρτερος (nérteros, “infernal, lower”) possibly all ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European *ner- (“left, below”), as north is to the left when one faces the rising sun.

Pronunciation

Noun

north (countable and uncountable, plural norths)

  1. One of the four major compass points, specifically 0°, directed toward the North Pole, and conventionally upwards on a map, abbreviated as N.
    Minnesota is in the north of the USA.
  2. The up or positive direction.
    Stock prices are heading north.
  3. (physics) The positive or north pole of a magnet, which seeks the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole (which, for its magnetic properties, is a south pole).

Antonyms

Coordinate terms

Derived terms
Terms derived from north (noun)

Translations
Also see Appendix:Cardinal directions for translations of all compass points

Adjective

north (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to the north; northern.
    He lived in north Germany.
    She entered through the north gate.
  2. Toward the north; northward.
    • 1987, Ana María Brull Vázquez, Rosa E. Casas, Cuba, page 23:
      The most dangerous ones are those that develop during October and November and that follow a north path affecting the western part of the island.
  3. (meteorology) Of wind, from the north.
    The north wind was cold.
  4. Pertaining to the part of a corridor used by northbound traffic.
    north highway 1
    • 2001, Joseph R Miller, Pipe Tobacco and Wool:
      Traffic was doing the speed limit on North I-45 one minute and had come to a stand-still the next.
  5. (colloquial) More or greater than.
    The wedding ended up costing north of $50,000.
    • 1993, Tom Aldredge as Charlie Hugel, Barbarians at the Gate:
      The price you're offering had better be north of the highest price this company has ever traded for.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms
Terms derived from north (adjective)

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Adverb

north (not comparable)

  1. Toward the north; northward.
    Switzerland is north of Italy.
    We headed north.

Antonyms

Translations

Verb

north (third-person singular simple present norths, present participle northing, simple past and past participle northed)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To turn or move toward the north.
    • 1769, Henry Wilson, William Hume, Surveying improved (page 239)
      When at B you had northed 3.71 […]

Anagrams

Middle English

Alternative forms
  • norþ, northe, norþe, norrþ

Etymology

From Old English norþ, in turn from Proto-Germanic *nurþrą.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /nɔrθ/

Noun

north

  1. north, northernness
  2. A location to the north; the north
  3. The north wind

Coordinate terms

Descendants

References

Adjective

north

  1. north, northern
  2. At the north

Descendants

References

Adverb

north

  1. To the north, northwards
  2. From the north
  3. In the north

Descendants

References
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.