Where does “northwards” come from?
Northwards derives from English north, from Middle English north, from Old English norþ, from Proto-Germanic nurþrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ner- and wer-.
northwards (English): northward; in a northerly direction
Definitions
- northward; in a northerly direction
Ancestry of “northwards”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | North | Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie |
| 2 | French | Nord | north |
| 3 | Middle French | nord | north |
| 4 | Old French | nort | north |
| 5 | Old English | norþ | north |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nurþrą | north, northern; north, northward |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nurþraz | north, northern |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *nér | below the surface, below |