Southerner
/ˈsʌð.ər.nər/noun
A person who comes from or lives in the southern part of a country or region.
Did you know?The ultimate origin of south is uncertain, but many scholars connect its Germanic ancestor with the sun-facing direction, making “southerner” faintly linked to ancient solar orientation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European / Proto-Germanic
PIE/Germanic
*sunthaz
“A reconstructed Germanic word for south, possibly associated with the sunward direction; the connection remains debated.”
Old English
Old English
sūþ
“South; the direction opposite north.”
Old English
Old English
sūþerne
“Southern; located toward or coming from the south.”
Middle English
Middle English
southerne
“Southern, from the south.”
16th Century
English
southerner
“A person from the south, formed from southern plus the agent noun suffix -er.”
Modern English
English
Southerner
“A person who lives in or originates from a southern region, especially the southern United States.”