Southern
/ˈsʌð.ən/noun
Relating to the south or located in the south.
Did you know?Its deepest root is tied to the same Indo-European source as “sun,” so in many ancient languages the south was literally the sunward direction.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sóh₂wl̥
“the sun”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sunþaz
“south, the sunward side”
Old English
OE
sūþerne
“southern, toward the south”
Middle English
ME
southerne
“southern; from the south”
Modern English
English
southern
“relating to the south or situated in the south”