northerly

[nawr-th er-lee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR northerly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

moving, directed, or situated toward the north.

(especially of a wind) coming from the north: a northerly gale.

adverb

toward the north.

from the north.

noun, plural north·er·lies.

a wind that blows from the north.

Origin of northerly

1545–55; north + -erly, modeled on easterly

Related formsnorth·er·li·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for northerly

arctic, north, northern, northward, polar

Examples from the Web for northerly

Historical Examples of northerly

First they took a northerly course, then they returned toward Sedan.
The Downfall
Emile Zola
Shandon looked in a northerly direction, and shuddered in spite of himself.
The English at the North Pole
Jules Verne
A trunk of a tree, about 50 feet long, lay on the beach; from whence I conclude a heavy sea runs in here with the northerly winds.
A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; And The Subsequent Voyage Of Part Of The Crew, In The Ship's Boat
William Bligh
At the northerly angle was the junction of the Conemaugh and Stony creeks.
The Johnstown Horror
James Herbert Walker
Ecbatane was the most northerly of these cities, and the most remote from danger.
Darius the Great
Jacob Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for northerly

northerly

adjective

of, relating to, or situated in the north

adverb, adjective

towards or in the direction of the north

from the northa northerly wind

noun plural -lies

a wind from the north

Derived Formsnortherliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for northerly

adj., adv.

1550s, from northern + -ly (2) on pattern of easterly, westerly.