Where does “northeast” come from?
Northeast derives from English north and east, with north tracing through Middle English north and Old English norþ to Proto-Germanic austrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots.
northeast (English): The compass point halfway between north and east,...
Definitions
- The compass point halfway between north and east,...
Ancestry of “northeast”, step by step
northeast traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English east
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | east | One of the four principal compass points,... |
| 2 | Middle English | est | east, easternness; A location to the south; the... |
| 3 | Old English | ēast | east; eastern |
| 4 | Old Norse | austr | east |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | austrą | east; east, eastward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | austraz | east, eastern |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *h₂éwsteros | in the direction of dawn, east |
via English north
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | north | One of the four major compass points,... |
| 2 | Middle English | north | north, northernness; A location to the north; the... |
| 3 | Old English | norþ | north |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nurþrą | north, northern; north, northward |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | nurþraz | north, northern |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | *nér | below the surface, below |