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 Words From

• northern·ness noun
• pro-Northern adjective
• un·northern adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of northern¹

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

Example Sentences

This week, we have a scintillating red from the corvina grape, grown in northern Italy near Verona, as well as a rustic red from the bobal grape, redolent of cherries and wild herbs.

From Washington Post

As you head into northern Montgomery, Frederick, and Howard counties, do expect to find more snow, especially on side roads.

From Washington Post

Last week we covered a home being built in northern Italy, unique because it’s made entirely of natural materials and shaped like a hive.

From Singularity Hub 

NASA funded this first round of analysis only to concentrate on Mars’s northern hemisphere.

From MIT Technology Review

Boat launches are found at the pond’s northern and southern ends.

From Outside Online

Unconfirmed reports in the French media claimed that the brothers were spotted at a gas station in northern France on Thursday.

From The Daily Beast

As of Thursday night, the brothers remained on the loose, last seen in northern France.

From The Daily Beast

His New Deal Coalition brought together Southerners, Northern ethnic minorities, and urban blacks under the same banner.

From The Daily Beast

There were stories of distant strife, in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland, and those stories had the whiff of a different era.

From The Daily Beast

On the northern side of the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea, there is a village called Kijong-dong (기정동).

From The Daily Beast

He signalized himself by a great victory which he obtained on the banks of the Neva, over the northern powers.

From Project Gutenberg

Out gets Uncle David, looking brown and healthy after his northern excursion.

From Project Gutenberg

It was near the hour, by the time they got there, when David Arden would arrive from his northern point of departure.

From Project Gutenberg

The glorious sun was strong in his might, and, like his Maker, warmed the northern world into exuberant life.

From Project Gutenberg

He had two children, a boy and a girl, who inherited the northern and southern ranches in equal shares.

From Project Gutenberg