Southward

How to spell southward

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce southward

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does southward mean?

1. adverbToward the south; in a direction heading south.
2. adjectiveFacing or moving in the direction of the south.

Southward in a sentence

• adverb

  The migrating geese flew southward as the weather cooled.

• adjective

  The southward journey took us through several mountain passes.

• adverb

  After leaving the city we drove steadily southward for three hours.

• adjective

  Every southward lane on the motorway was closed for repairs.

Where does southward come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word comes straight from Old English, the earliest form of native English speech. It joins suth, meaning 'south', with the suffix -weard, which meant 'turned toward' or 'facing in the direction of'. That -weard element traces back to a Germanic root sharing ancestry with the Latin vertere, 'to turn', which is why so many English direction words (northward, homeward, backward) end the same way. The 'south' part itself probably grew from an older root tied to the idea of the sun's position, since the sun stands in the southern sky at midday in the northern hemisphere. The spelling has stayed remarkably stable for a thousand years, and the trap for modern writers is simply the silent 'w' tucked between the 'th' and the 'ard'.

How the word is built

• south (the compass direction)
• -ward (suffix meaning 'in the direction of')