Northeast
/ˌnɔːrθˈiːst/noun
The direction halfway between north and east; the northeastern region of a place.
Did you know?Like other compass compounds, Northeast is a transparent English formation from ancient directional roots, showing how humans turned the sky into a map long before GPS.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ner-
“left; below; north in directional systems”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*aus-
“to shine, dawn; east as the sunrise direction”
Old English
English
norþ
“north”
Old English
English
ēast
“east, the direction of sunrise”
Middle English
English
northeest
“the direction or region between north and east”
Modern English
English
northeast
“the compass direction between north and east”