Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “southward” come from?

Southward derives from Old English sūþweard, combining sūþ (south) with -weard (toward), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- (to turn).

southward (English): The direction or area lying to the south of a...

Definitions

  1. The direction or area lying to the south of a...

Ancestry of “southward”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSouth—
2Frenchsudsouth
3Middle Frenchsud—
4Old Frenchsudsouth
5Old Englishsūþsouth
6Proto-Germanicsunþrąsouth; south, southward
7Proto-Indo-Europeansóh₂wl̥sun

Words derived from “southward”

  • southwardly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sóh₂wl̥ →