# north

Pronunciation: US say "NORTH" /noɹθ/; UK say "NAWTH" /nɔːθ/

## Noun

1. The direction toward the North Pole, on your left when facing east, bearing 0°; on other planets and moons, toward the pole on the same side of the solar system as Earth's North Pole.
   - Simple: The direction on your left when you face east.
   - _Storm clouds were gathering to the north of the city._
   - _The hikers lost their bearings in the fog and could no longer tell which way was north._
9. The upward or positive direction, especially of a number such as a price.
   - Simple: The direction of going up, as when prices or other numbers get bigger.
   - _After a shaky spring, the company's share price is heading north again._
   - _Both inflation and interest rates moved north last quarter, squeezing household budgets._

## Adjective

2. Located in or relating to the northern part of a place or thing.
   - Simple: In or about the northern part of a place.
   - _The north wall of the house gets almost no direct sunlight._
   - _The family farm is in north Georgia, near the mountains._
7. More than, or greater than, a given amount, followed by of. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: More than a certain amount, used with of.
   - _The new stadium is expected to cost north of $2 billion._
   - _Her salary at the startup is now well north of what she earned at the bank._
6. Heading or directed toward the north, as of a route or the lanes of a highway carrying northbound traffic.
   - Simple: Going or pointing toward the north.
   - _An accident closed the north lanes of the interstate for most of the morning._
   - _The pilot turned onto a north heading after takeoff._
10. Of a wind, blowing from the north.
   - Simple: Coming from the north, used about wind.
   - _A steady north wind kept the sailboats close to shore._
   - _Forecasters expect north winds of up to 30 miles per hour tonight._

## Adverb

3. Toward the north, or lying to the north of something.
   - Simple: In the direction of the north.
   - _After the border crossing, the highway runs north through the mountains._
   - _Canada lies north of the United States._

## Proper noun · North

4. The northern part of a country or region, such as the northern states of the US or the north of England.
   - Simple: The northern part of a country, such as the northern US states or the north of England.
   - _Vietnam's North has cooler winters than the tropical South._
   - _Many families from the North of England moved to London in search of steadier work._
5. The country of North Korea, occupying the northern part of Korea.
   - Simple: The country of North Korea, in the northern part of Korea.
   - _Seoul offered to resume family reunions if the North agreed to new talks._
   - _The defector crossed from the North by boat and was questioned for weeks in Seoul._
8. In the American Civil War, the Union, as opposed to the Confederate South. *(US)*
   - Simple: The northern side in the American Civil War, also called the Union.
   - _Early defeats forced the North to rethink its strategy and replace several generals._
   - _The North's naval blockade gradually cut the South off from much of its overseas trade._
11. Northern Ireland, seen as the northern part of the island of Ireland. *(Ireland)*
   - Simple: Northern Ireland, the northern part of the island of Ireland.
   - _She commutes from Dundalk across the border to a job in the North._
   - _Politicians in Dublin and the North agreed to fund a new cross-border greenway._
12. The world's wealthier, economically developed countries considered as a group, most but not all north of the equator; also called the Global North.
   - Simple: The world's richer, developed countries thought of as one group, most of them north of the equator.
   - _Critics argue that debt relief from the North has come with too many conditions._
   - _The summit exposed a sharp divide between the North and the developing world over who should pay for climate damage._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The positive pole of a magnet, the end drawn toward the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole, which is itself magnetically a south pole.
- (noun) In church usage, the side lying to the left of someone facing the altar, regardless of compass direction.
- (adjective) Situated in or designating the liturgical north of a church, the side to the left of a person facing the altar.
- (verb) To turn toward the north, or to travel in a northward direction.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 6–7, 9–10** — Old English norþ became Middle English north. It goes back to Proto-Germanic *nurþrą and ultimately to a Proto-Indo-European root *nér meaning "below the surface". Two explanations are offered: the north was where the sun lay below the earth, or it was the left-hand side of someone facing east to pray. Dutch noord and German Nord are related, and so, more distantly, is Ancient Greek nérteros ("below").
**Meanings 4–5, 8, 11–12** — These regional names and place names come from north, the direction.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/north (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).