Where does “north” come from?

north (Middle English) comes from Old English norþ, from Proto-Germanic nurþrą, from Proto-Germanic nurþraz, from Proto-Indo-European *nér — below the surface, below.

north (Middle English): north, northernness; A location to the north; the...

Definitions

  1. north, northernness; A location to the north; the...

Ancestry of “north”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishnorþnorth
2Proto-Germanicnurþrąnorth, northern; north, northward
3Proto-Germanicnurþraznorth, northern
4Proto-Indo-European*nérbelow the surface, below

Words derived from “north”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *nér →
north — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer