northern

American  

[nawr-thern] / ˈnɔr ðərn /

adjective

1. lying toward or situated in the north.

2. directed or proceeding northward.

3. coming from the north, as a wind.

4. Often Northern of or relating to the North, especially the northern United States.

5. Astronomy. north of the celestial equator or of the zodiac.

   a northern constellation.

---

noun

1. a person living in a northern region or country.

2. Northern, a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a four-wheeled rear truck.

northern British  

/ ˈnɔːðən /

adjective

1. situated in or towards the north

   northern towns

2. directed or proceeding towards the north

   a northern flow of traffic

3. (esp of winds) proceeding from the north

4. (sometimes capital) of, relating to, or characteristic of the north or North

5. (sometimes capital) astronomy north of the celestial equator

---

Other Word Forms

• northernness noun
• pro-Northern adjective
• unnorthern adjective

Etymology

Origin of northern

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; north, -ern

Example Sentences

These were not the large timber wolves but the smaller northern brush wolves, perhaps weighing forty or fifty pounds each, about as large as most of my team.

From Literature

The same day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have attacked a U.S. tanker at the northern edge of the Gulf.

From The Wall Street Journal

It has also suspended crude production from the northern Kirkuk region as a precaution.

From The Wall Street Journal

As it happens, the disaster in the northern Japanese city has left the area uninhabitable even today, but the possibilities had approached the apocalyptic.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a statement Thursday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said they attacked a U.S. tanker in the northern part of the Gulf and that the vessel was on fire, according to a report from Reuters.

From MarketWatch