Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. The compass point halfway between north and east,...

Ancestry of “northeast”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglisheastOne of the four principal compass points,...
2Middle Englishesteast, easternness; A location to the south; the...
3Old Englishēasteast; eastern
4Old Norseaustreast
5Proto-Germanicaustrąeast; east, eastward
6Proto-Germanicaustrazeast, eastern
7Proto-Indo-European*h₂éwsteros—

Words derived from “northeast”

  • northeastward
  • northeastwardly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsteros →