Etymology of north

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

adj

Of or pertaining to the north; northern. · Toward the north; northward. · Of wind, from the north. · Pertaining to the part of a corridor used by northbound traffic.

noun

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. · The up or positive direction. · 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). · Alternative letter-case form of North (“a northern region; the inhabitants thereof”).

verb

To turn or move toward the north.

adv

Toward the north; northward; northerly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *nér Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Indo-European *nŕ̥t(e)ros Proto-Germanic *nurþraz Proto-West Germanic *norþr Old English norþ Middle English north English north 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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionnorthenm
Inherited-form mentionnorþang
Inherited-form mention*norþrgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*nurþrągem-pro
Derivation mention*nérine-pro · below (the surface)
Cognate mentionnoardthyol
Cognate mentionnoorfrr
Cognate mentionNoudestq
Cognate mentionnoardfy · north
Cognate mentionnoordnl · north
Cognate mentionNordde · north
Cognate mentionnordsv
Cognate mentionνέρτεροςgrc
Cognate mentionнораru · hole
Cognate mentionnėrõvėlt · mermaid, nymph
Cognate mention𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊osc · left
Cognate mentionnertruxum · left
Cognate mentionनरकsa · hell
Cognate mentionñortxb · below

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:north",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *nér\nProto-Indo-European *-teros\nProto-Indo-European *nŕ̥t(e)ros\nProto-Germanic *nurþraz\nProto-West Germanic *norþr\nOld English norþ\nMiddle English north\nEnglish north\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*nurþraz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*norþr\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"norþ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"north\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"north\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"north\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "north"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English north"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "norþ"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English norþ"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*norþr"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *norþr"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*nurþrą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *nurþrą"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*nér",
        "t": "below (the surface)"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *nér (“below (the surface)”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yol",
        "2": "noardth"
      },
      "expansion": "Yola noardth"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "noor"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian noor"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Noude"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Noude"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "noard",
        "t": "north"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian noard (“north”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "noord",
        "t": "north"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch noord (“north”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Nord",
        "t": "north"
      },
      "expansion": "German Nord (“north”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da,nb,nn",
        "2": "nord",
        "t": "north"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nord (“north”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo,is",
        "2": "norður",
        "t": "north"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese and Icelandic norður (“north”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "nord"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish nord"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "νέρτερος"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek νέρτερος (nérteros)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "нора",
        "t": "hole"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian нора (nora, “hole”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "nėrõvė",
        "t": "mermaid, nymph"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian nėrõvė (“mermaid, nymph”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "osc",
        "2": "𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊",
        "t": "left"
      },
      "expansion": "Oscan 𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊 (nertrak, “left”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "xum",
        "2": "nertru",
        "t": "left"
      },
      "expansion": "Umbrian nertru (“left”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa",
        "2": "नरक",
        "t": "hell"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit नरक (naraka, “hell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "txb",
        "2": "ñor",
        "t": "below"
      },
      "expansion": "Tocharian B ñor (“below”)"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:north",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *nér\nProto-Indo-European *-teros\nProto-Indo-European *nŕ̥t(e)ros\nProto-Germanic *nurþraz\nProto-West Germanic *norþr\nOld English norþ\nMiddle English north\nEnglish north"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*nér",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/nér"
    ],
    [
      "*-teros",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-teros"
    ],
    [
      "*nurþraz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/nurþraz"
    ],
    [
      "*norþr",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/norþr"
    ],
    [
      "norþ",
      "norþ#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "north",
      "north#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "north",
      "north#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "norþ",
      "norþ#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*norþr",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/norþr"
    ],
    [
      "*nurþrą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/nurþrą"
    ],
    [
      "*nér",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/nér"
    ],
    [
      "noardth",
      "noardth#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "nordh",
      "nordh#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "noor",
      "noor#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "nord",
      "nord#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "nuurd",
      "nuurd#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Nuurđ",
      "Nuurđ#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Noude",
      "Noude#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Nudde",
      "Nudde#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "noard",
      "noard#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "noord",
      "noord#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Nord",
      "Nord#German"
    ],
    [
      "Danish",
      "nord#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "nord#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "nord",
      "nord#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "Faroese",
      "norður#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "norður",
      "norður#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "nord",
      "nord#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "norr",
      "norr#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "νέρτερος",
      "νέρτερος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ἐνέρτερος",
      "ἐνέρτερος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "нора",
      "нора#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "nėrõvė",
      "nėrovė#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊",
      "𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊#Oscan"
    ],
    [
      "nertru",
      "nertru#Umbrian"
    ],
    [
      "नरक",
      "नरक#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "ñor",
      "ñor#Tocharian_B"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or pertaining to the north; northern.",
        "Toward the north; northward.",
        "Of wind, from the north.",
        "Pertaining to the part of a corridor used by northbound traffic."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "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.",
        "The up or positive direction.",
        "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).",
        "Alternative letter-case form of North (“a northern region; the inhabitants thereof”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "alt-of"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17601
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To turn or move toward the north."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "573dfa8412e17697c5f607d3ccc4ab954f839c223b765f5928dba3fb5336a212",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17604
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Toward the north; northward; northerly."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

The source etymologies

Unnumbered source etymology

Relationships mentioned by the source

Where this record stops

Source and snapshot