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

The manufacturing survey covers activity in the Tenth District, which includes Colorado, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, the northern half of New Mexico and the western third of Missouri.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

According to the National Geographic listing, over the past decade, this "underrated northern England port city" has undergone "significant" revitalisation.

Read more on BBC

That way, it won’t turn into a brained brick because of a human error somewhere in northern Virginia.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But the rhetoric has sharpened tensions with its northern neighbours.

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Brueckner is now sleeping in a tent in a park in the northern city of Kiel, according to Der Spiegel magazine, with two police officers constantly protecting him from "possible attacks by the public".

Read more on Barron's