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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

north

/nɔːθ/
The direction towards the pole to the left-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 0°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the northern side of the invariable plane.

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    Origin

    From Middle English north, from Old English norþ, from Proto-West Germanic *norþr, from Proto-Germanic *nurþrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nér (“below (the surface)”). The meaning developed either from "region where the sun is below (the earth)" or from "left side of someone who turns to the east when praying".

    Cognates

    Cognate with various Germanic counterparts such as Yola noardth, nordh (“north”), North Frisian noor, nord, nuurd, Nuurđ (“north”), Saterland Frisian Noude, Nudde (“north”), West Frisian noard (“north”), Dutch noord (“north”), German Nord (“north”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nord (“north”), Faroese and Icelandic norður (“north”), Swedish nord, norr (“north”); also with Ancient Greek νέρτερος (nérteros), ἐνέρτερος (enérteros, “below”), Russian нора (nora, “hole”), Lithuanian nėrõvė (“mermaid, nymph”), Oscan 𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊 (nertrak, “left”), Umbrian nertru (“left”), Sanskrit नरक (naraka, “hell”), Tocharian B ñor (“below”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishnorth
      • inheritedOld Englishnorþ “north”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*norþr
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*nurþraz

    Related: Yola noardth, North Frisian noor, Saterland Frisian Noude, West Frisian noard, Dutch noord, German Nord, da,nb,nn nord, fo,is norður, Swedish nord, Ancient Greek νέρτερος, Russian нора, Lithuanian nėrõvė, Oscan 𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊, Umbrian nertru, Sanskrit नरक, Tocharian B ñor

    Words built on it: up north

    Meanings

    noun
    1. The direction towards the pole to the left-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 0°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the northern side of the invariable plane.
    2. The up or positive direction.
    3. The positive or north pole of a magnet, which seeks the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole (which, for its magnetic properties, is a south pole).
    4. In a church: the direction to the left-hand side of a person facing the altar.
    adj
    1. Of or pertaining to the north; northern.
    2. Toward the north; northward.
    3. Of wind, from the north.
    4. Pertaining to the part of a corridor used by northbound traffic.
    5. Designating, or situated in, the liturgical north (in a church, the direction to the left-hand side of a person facing the altar).
    6. More or greater than.
    adv
    1. Toward the north; northward; northerly.
    verb
    1. To turn or move toward the north.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: north