northern

[nawr-thern]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of northern¹

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

Example Sentences

As temperatures rise, multiyear ice in the northern Arctic is released southward, where it creates chokepoints in the Northwest Passage.

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In northern Virginia, home to a dense strip of data centers known as “Data Center Alley,” workers say the industry has transformed their lives.

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Flooding has wreaked havoc and left parts of northern Perlis state under water, with two people dead and tens of thousands forced into shelters.

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The recently opened shell factory, based in northern Germany, was completed in just 15 months.

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Two people were killed in Malaysia by flooding caused by heavy rain that left stretches of northern Perlis state under water.

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