Where does “Northland” come from?

Northland comes from Middle English north and Old English land, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European lendʰ- meaning to stretch or extend.

Northland (English): A land that lies to the north

Definitions

  1. A land that lies to the north

Ancestry of “Northland”, step by step

Northland traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English North

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNorthAny of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie
2FrenchNordnorth
3Middle Frenchnordnorth
4Old Frenchnortnorth
5Old Englishnorþnorth
6Proto-Germanicnurþrąnorth, northern; north, northward
7Proto-Germanicnurþraznorth, northern
8Proto-Indo-European*nérbelow the surface, below

via English Land

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishLandThe part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water
2Middle EnglishlandAlternative form of lond; urine
3Old Englishhlandurine
4Proto-Germanichlandąurine
5Proto-Indo-Europeanklān-liquid, wet ground
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *nér →Every word from Proto-Germanic nurþraz →Every word from Proto-Germanic nurþrą →