Northeastern

How to spell northeastern

12 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce northeastern

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does northeastern mean?

1. adjectiveLocated in, directed toward, or coming from the northeast.

Northeastern in a sentence

• The company opened a new depot in the northeastern corner of the county.

• A cold northeastern wind kept the harbour boats in port all weekend.

Where does northeastern come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English compound, built entirely from Old English (Germanic) roots. 'North' descends from Old English 'norþ', and 'east' from 'east', both naming the cardinal directions much as they do today; 'east' is ultimately linked to an old root meaning 'where the sun rises'. The ending '-ern' comes from the Old English suffix '-erne', seen in 'eastern', 'western', 'southern', and 'northern', which simply turned a direction word into an adjective. When the two directions were combined, the result described the quarter of the compass between north and east, and the '-ern' form gave the adjective 'northeastern' for anything lying in or facing that direction. Because every piece is plain English, the spelling is regular; the only thing to watch is that it is written as one solid word, with the silent-feeling join where 'north' meets 'east'.

How the word is built

• north (direction)
• east (direction)
• -ern (adjectival suffix marking 'of that direction')