Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Northern” come from?

Northern (English) comes from Middle English northerne, from Old English norþerne, from Proto-Germanic nurþrōnijaz, from Proto-Germanic nurþraz, from Proto-Indo-European *nér.

Northern (English): Characteristic of the North of England; a steam...

Definitions

  1. Characteristic of the North of England; a steam...

Ancestry of “Northern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnorthernenorthern
2Old Englishnorþernenorthern
3Proto-Germanicnurþrōnijaznorthern
4Proto-Germanicnurþraznorth, northern
5Proto-Indo-European*nér—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *nér →