southerly

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ˈsʌðərli/ UK /ˈsʌðəli/ See IPA manual

adj adv noun

Meanings

1

adj
situated toward or coming from the south

A southerly wind brought warmer air overnight.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · situated toward or coming... southward southern meridional

Opposites

northerly northward

Word family

Related forms south southern southward

Etymology

From south + -erly, an adverbial and adjectival suffix used with the cardinal directions; south descends from Old English sūþ.

sūþ Old English *sunþraz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

# southerly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, adv, noun
**IPA (US):** ˈsʌðərli
**IPA (UK):** ˈsʌðəli

## Meanings
1. situated toward or coming from the south

## Examples
- A southerly wind brought warmer air overnight.

## Synonyms
- southward
- southern
- meridional

## Antonyms
- northerly
- northward

## Related Forms
- south
- southern
- southward

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sūþ
- Root: *sunþraz

## Etymology
From south + -erly, an adverbial and adjectival suffix used with the cardinal directions; south descends from Old English sūþ.

## AI Etymology
Southerly comes from south + -erly, an adverbial and adjectival suffix used with the cardinal directions; south descends from Old English sūþ. The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As an adjective, adverb, and noun, it carries the sense "situated toward or coming from the south", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Old English sūþ and Proto-Germanic *sunþraz. Related words include south, southern, southward.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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