Where does “northwest” come from?
Northwest derives from English north and west, where north comes from Middle English north, Old English norþ, and Proto-Germanic nurþrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ner-.
northwest (English): The compass point halfway between north and west,...
Definitions
- The compass point halfway between north and west,...
Ancestry of “northwest”, step by step
northwest traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English west
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | west | One of the four principal compass points,... |
| 2 | Middle English | west | west; A location to the south; the south; The... |
| 3 | Old English | west | west |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *westr | western, westernly |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | westrą | west; west, westward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | westraz | west, western |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wek(ʷ)speros | evening |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | we- | — |
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 |