Etymology
Advertisement

southerly

1550s (adj.); 1570s (adv.); from southern + -ly. Related: Southerliness.

Entries linking to southerly

southern 
Old English suðerne, from suð "south" (see south) + -erne, suffix denoting direction. A common Germanic compound (Old Frisian suthern, Old Norse suðroenn, Old High German sundroni). The constellation Southern Cross so called in English by 1756.
-ly (1)

suffix forming adjectives from nouns and meaning "having qualities of, of the form or nature of" (manly, lordly), "appropriate to, fitting, suited to" (bodily, earthly, daily); irregularly descended from Old English -lic, from Proto-Germanic *-liko- (Old Frisian -lik, Dutch -lijk, Old High German -lih, German -lich, Old Norse -ligr), related to *likom- "appearance, form" (Old English lich "corpse, body;" see lich, which is a cognate; see also like (adj.), with which it is identical).

Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of southerly
1
southerly (adv.)
toward the south;
the ship turned southerly
Synonyms: southward / southwards
southerly (adv.)
from the south;
a wind blew southerly
2
southerly (adj.)
situated in or oriented toward the south;
took a southerly course
Synonyms: southern
southerly (adj.)
from the south; used especially of wind;
a hot southerly wind
the winds are southerly
Synonyms: southern
3
southerly (n.)
a wind from the south;
Synonyms: south wind / souther
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near southerly

souter

south

South Africa

southbound

southeast

southerly

southern

southerner

southernmost

southland

southmost

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper