northern
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northern¹
- /ˈnɔː.ðən/ UK
- [ˈnɔːðn̩] UK
- /ˈnɒ.ðə(ɹ)n/ nonstandard
- /ˈnɔɹ.ðɚn/ Canada, US
- /ˈnoː.ðən/ Australia, New Zealand
- [ˈnoːðn̩] Australia, New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle English northerne, from Old English norþerne, from Proto-West Germanic *norþrōnī, from Proto-Germanic *nurþrōnijaz. Cognate with Old High German nordrōni and Old Norse norrœnn.
Morphologically north + -ern.
adjective more northern · most northern · northernmost
- Of, facing, situated in, or related to the north; northerly. Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages.
- Blowing from the north; northerly.
- Characteristic of the North of England (usually capitalised) Les Dawson was a famous northern comedian.
Similar: boreal, septentrional · Opposite: austral, meridional, southern
noun northerns
- An inhabitant of the northern regions; a northerner.
- The northern pike. As is the case with northerns, the female muskie, trailed by her attendant males, may broadcast eggs over several hundred yards.
- A film or other dramatic work set primarily in the late 19th or early 20th century in the north of North America, primarily in western Canada but also in Alaska, often with a Mountie as the protagonist.
Northern²
adjective more Northern · most Northern
- Characteristic of the North of England (the North) (usually capitalised). Les Dawson was a famous Northern comedian.
- Characteristic of the northern part of the United States (the North) (usually capitalised). She's a Northern girl, so she had to ask what hush puppies and mudbugs are. We were happy to serve her the answer on a platter!
proper noun Northerns
- A surname.
- The Northern Line of the London Underground.
- Any of several former railroads called the Northern Railroad in the 19th century. We don't move any freight on the Northern anymore.
noun Northerns
-
A steam locomotive of the 4-8-4 wheel arrangement.
It takes something big, like a Northern, to pull a train of this size.
Similar: Northern Pacific
- A genre of fiction focusing on the untamed northern territory of Canada and sometimes Alaska, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I decided to kick back and lose myself in a good Northern for a while.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: boreal, septrional, yankee, federal, north, circumboreal, union, northerly, blue, north-central, northward, southern, north-east, northbound, northwestern, north-west
adjective
Similar: boreal, septentrional · Opposite: austral, meridional, southern
Translations
Every language
adj facing, situated in or related to the north
| Español | septentrional, norteño, boreal |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 북의 bug-ui, 북쪽의 bukjjog-ui |
| 日本語 | 北の kita no, 北方の hoppō no |
| 中文 | 北的 běi de, 北方的 běifāng de |
| हिन्दी | उत्तरी uttarī |
| Português | setentrional, nortenho, boreal |
| Français | septentrional, boréal |
| Deutsch | nördlich, Nord- |
| Italiano | settentrionale, nordico, boreale |
| Ελληνικά | βόρειος vóreios |
| Română | nordic, boreal, septentrional |
| Русский | се́верный sévernyj |
| Tiếng Việt | bắc |
| العربية | شَمَالِيّ šamāliyy |
| עברית | צְפוֹנִי tsfoní |
Talk about this word "northern." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/northern. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. northern. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/northern "northern." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/northern.Cite this
@misc{northern_2026,
title = {northern},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/northern},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}