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northern

northern

2 1.1
Coming from the north, as with wind or weather
  • adjective
  • /ˈnɔrðərn/
: del norte
  • In the northern hemisphere, the nights are longer during the winter solstice.

Examples

  • The frozen blasts of that northern wind bite into your very marrow.

  • The Sudan-based Lord's Resistance Army has destabilized northern Uganda since 1987.

    Academic text (2000)
  • This would mean more cold air in middle and northern Europe and more heat waves in southern Europe.

  • Becky turned the car toward home, and a northern breeze reached them from Canada.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Israel has warned that residents in northern Israel, Israel should shelter in place and stay away from any kind of large gatherings.

  • Ice begins to intrude into the northern Bering Sea in November.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Tina Modotti was born in northern Italy in 1896 to a poor family.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Deforestation in central and northern Honduras has affected water basins and water availability.

    Academic text (1993)
  • A cold northern wind swept through the town, signaling the arrival of winter.

  • During the winter months, many animals migrate south to escape the harsh northern weather.

Synonyms

north
vsnorthern
∞ 1.0

Located on or coming from the top side of a map

is limited to wind or weather coming from that compass side
northerly
vsnorthern
2 2.8

Wind or weather that comes from the north

means the same but is an alternative adjective form used in writing

Antonyms

686 1.0

Located in or coming from the south

Compounds

A group of leaders and fighters in northern Afghanistan who united to fight the Taliban

Bright colourful lights that appear in the night sky near the North Pole

The half of the Earth north of the equator

The half of Earth north of the equator

A region of Europe in the north that includes countries like Norway, Sweden, and Finland

A large area in north central Australia run by the national government

A group of islands in the western Pacific that govern themselves, excluding Guam

A self-governing group of islands in the western Pacific that belong to the United States

The part of the United States north of the Mason-Dixon line

A state in the north of Cyprus that only Turkey recognizes

The official name of the country in northwest Europe made of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

northern pike
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A large freshwater fish with a long body that eats other fish in lakes and rivers

1 8.7

The name for Zambia when it was a British territory before 1964

1 9.1

A medium-sized bright orange and black songbird found in North America

1 6.5

A large apple that ripens late with crisp flesh and a tart taste

1 6.1

A large tree with broad leaves that have sharp points and a rounded top

A North American songbird with a crest and thick bill, male bright red and female brown with red highlights

Northern Cross
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A group of five bright stars shaped like a cross in the constellation Cygnus

A state in northern Cyprus that declared independence and is recognized only by Turkey

1 7.9

A medium-sized bird of prey that hunts low over fields and marshes

1 6.0

A person who belongs to the American Baptist Churches, a Baptist church group from the northern United States

A group of Baptist churches in the northern United States founded in 1907 and later renamed American Baptist Churches USA

northern snakehead
  • Specialized
1 8.7

Freshwater fish from East Asia that breathes air and can live out of water, and is harmful in North America

northern white cedar
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A small evergreen tree in eastern North America with tiny flat leaves often used for hedges

1 3.2

A large edible lobster from the Atlantic coast of North America or its meat

A large North American squirrel that glides between trees using a skin flap

northern shrike
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A small northern bird that catches insects and small animals and sticks them on thorns

A small North American bird like a quail that people often hunt

northern sea robin
  • Specialized
1 9.7

A large sea fish with big front fins that stirs sand to find food

1 8.6

A small blue-gray songbird with a yellow throat and chest in eastern North America

A North American plant that lives for many years with small white flowers often grown in gardens

A fern with delicate leaves that grows in moist woodlands of North America and Eurasia

A small animal like a mouse that lives in wet mountain meadows in Canada and Alaska

1 6.3

A small to medium oak tree from east-central North America with leaves that have many sharp points

northern barramundi
  • Australian
9.9

A large freshwater fish from northern Australian rivers with reddish crescent spots on its scales

A land frog that digs and lives underground at night with a hard head

A small frog that jumps, lives near ponds, and makes a high, sharp call in eastern and central United States

A plant that lives for many years with feathery leaves and small yellow flowers in sand dunes

A low wild plant that makes small black edible berries like blackberries

A very large, hairy animal like an elephant that lived in cold northern places

A yellow-green fern with delicate spreading leaves that grows in cool rocky places

northern phalarope
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wading bird that breeds in the Arctic and often forms large flocks at sea

An evergreen fern with shiny leaves like holly grown as a decorative plant

A plant with upright stems and white flowers that lives many years in cold northern places

A small black bird with white marks that lives in northern seas like the Atlantic and Mediterranean

A North American plant that grows each year with small white flowers and spreads across the ground

A large pine tree from eastern North America with three needles in each cluster and thick, rough bark

A small burrowing animal like a mouse that has fur-lined cheek pouches and makes dirt mounds

northern porgy
  • Specialized
8.8

A sea fish that lives along the US east coast and that people eat

9.0

A small sea fish often fried and eaten off the east coast of the United States

northern whiting
  • Specialized
8.8

A small saltwater fish with white flaky meat found off the US east coast

northern woodsia
  • Specialized
9.9

A thin fern from northern North America with chestnut stalks and divided leaves

Surface Forms

northern positive

Morphology

northern = north (transparent) = north + ern

Standard adjectival formation from 'north' indicating origin or direction; learners can infer 'coming from the north'.

Etymology

Northern for wind or weather also uses north + -ern, so it literally means 'related to the north'. A northern wind is easy to remember as wind that comes 'from the north', which explains the modern meaning.