# south

Pronunciation: say "SOWTH" /saʊθ/

## Noun

1. The direction toward the pole on the right of someone facing east, at a bearing of 180°; on another celestial body, toward the pole on the southern side of the invariable plane.
   - Simple: The direction on your right when you face east. It is the opposite of north.
   - _Mexico is to the south of the United States._
   - _The storm is moving up from the south and should reach us by evening._
5. The southern region of a country or area, or the people who live in it.
   - Simple: The part of a country that lies to the south, or the people living there.
   - _Heavy rain has flooded towns across the south of England._
   - _When the government cut its funding, the south rose in protest._
14. The south-seeking pole of a magnet, the end that turns toward the geographic south, opposite its north pole.
   - Simple: One of the two ends of a magnet, the end opposite the north end.
   - _No matter how hard Leo pushed, the magnets would not touch, because he had lined them up south to south._
   - _Label the north and south of each magnet before you begin the experiment._

## Adjective

2. Relating to the south, or lying in the southern part of something.
   - Simple: In or of the south part of a place.
   - _The tomatoes are planted along the south wall of the garden._
   - _Anglers lined the south bank of the river at dawn._
9. Heading or leading toward the south, as a course or the southbound side of a road.
   - Simple: Going toward the south, like a road lane that carries cars heading south.
   - _The pilot turned onto a south heading to avoid the storm._
   - _If you take the south road out of town, you'll reach the coast in about an hour._
10. Of a wind, blowing from the south.
   - Simple: Used about wind: coming from the south.
   - _A steady south wind pushed the sailboats up the bay._
   - _Forecasters expect strong south winds ahead of the cold front._

## Proper noun · South

3. The southern part of a country or other region, treated as a distinct geographical or cultural area.
   - Simple: The southern part of a country or region, considered as a distinct area.
   - _In Italy, the South has long been poorer than the industrial North._
   - _The ruling party held the North but lost every seat in the South._
6. The southeastern states of the United States, especially those that formed the Confederacy in the Civil War. *(US)*
   - Simple: The states in the southeast of the US, many of which fought against the North in the Civil War.
   - _The civil rights movement drew national attention to segregation in the South._
   - _Barbecue styles vary widely across the South, from Texas brisket to Carolina pork._
7. An informal short name for the Global South, used in politics and international affairs.
   - Simple: A short name for the Global South, used when people talk about world politics.
   - _Rich nations pledged billions to help the South adapt to climate change._
   - _Trade talks between the North and the South stalled over farm subsidies._

## Adverb

4. In the direction of the south.
   - Simple: Toward the south.
   - _Head south on Main Street and turn left at the bank._
   - _The highway runs south along the coast for two hundred miles._
8. In a bad or worsening direction, used mostly in the phrase go south.
   - Simple: Toward something worse, mostly in the phrase go south, meaning to go badly.
   - _The deal went south when the buyer's financing fell through._
   - _Stock prices headed south for the third week in a row._
11. Of the wind, from the south rather than toward it.
   - Simple: Used about wind, meaning it blows from the south.
   - _By evening the wind had backed south and the first showers arrived._
   - _Wind south 10 to 15 knots, becoming west after midnight._
13. In a downward direction, toward a lower position.
   - Simple: Down, toward a lower place.
   - _His gaze drifted south from her face to the muddy boots she was wearing._
   - _In the heat, the ice cream began dripping south toward his wrist._

## Verb

12. To turn toward the south, or to move or veer in that direction.
   - Simple: To turn or travel toward the south.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In a church, the direction on the right of a person facing the altar, regardless of the compass.
- (adjective) Situated in, or naming, the part of a church to the right of someone facing the altar.
- (verb) Of a celestial body, to reach the meridian, crossing the imaginary north–south line in the sky.
- (proper noun) An informal British name for Antarctica, used especially by people who live and work there.
- (proper noun) Short for South College: one of the colleges of Durham University in England.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4–5, 8–14** — Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ ("sun") gave Proto-Germanic *sunþrą ("south") and Proto-West Germanic *sunþr ("southern"), which became Old English sūþ and Middle English south. Dutch zuid, German Süd, and Swedish söder ("south") are close relatives, and the shared root for "sun" links it more distantly to Latin sōl, Ancient Greek ἥλιος (hḗlios), Welsh haul, and Sanskrit सूर्य (sūrya).
**Meanings 3, 6–7** — From the direction south. As an English surname it marked someone from the south; compare Southern.

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