southern

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈsʌð.ən/, US /ˈsʌð.ɚn/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English southren,^[2][3] inherited from Old English sūþerne,^[4][3] formed from sūþ, “south”, and the suffix -erne, which denotes direction.^[4][5] It is a common Germanic compound, found also in Old Frisian suthern, Old Norse suðrœnn and Old High German sundrōni.^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of the wind, blowing from the south: about 888.^[6] Of people, living in or coming from the south, is from about 950.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Lying to the south, and found in or typical of the south, are from about 1000.^[6] In astronomy it named constellations from 1594, and the Southern Cross is so called in English by 1756.^[6][4] Southern lights, the aurora australis, is from 1775.^[6] In the United States it was applied to the Southern States from 1789 of people^[6] and 1819 of things.^[6] Southern-fried, of cooking typical of the American South, is by 1972 in its generic sense.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 888 – of the wind.^[6]
• c. 950 – of people.^[6]
• c. 1000 – lying to the south.^[6]
• 1594 – in names of constellations.^[6]
• 1756 – Southern Cross.^[4]
• 1775 – southern lights.^[6]
• 1789 – of the US Southern States.^[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. In, towards or facing the south.
2. Coming from the south: a southern wind.
3. Native to or growing in the south.
4. Of or typical of southern regions, or of the South of a country, especially the US.
5. South of the equator.

Word family

• southernness
• southernmost

Related words

• south
• northern
• eastern
• western

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press