/saʊθ/, /suːθ/, /saʊθ/
OriginFrom Middle English south, from Old English sūþ, from Proto-West Germanic *sunþr (“southern”), from Proto-Germanic *sunþrą (“south”), from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ (“sun”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots sooth (“south”), Yola zouth (“south”), North Frisian sööd, Süđ, süüd (“south”), Saterland Frisian Sude, Suud (“south”), West Frisian súd (“south”), Dutch zuid (“south”), German Süd (“south”), Danish syd (“south”), Faroese, Icelandic suður (“south”), Norwegian Bokmål syd, sør (“south”), Norwegian Nynorsk sør (“south”), Swedish syd, söder (“south”); also with Irish súil (“eye”), Cornish howl (“sun”), Manx sooill (“eye”), Scottish Gaelic sùil (“eye”), Welsh haul (“sun”), Latin sōl (“sun”), Ancient Greek ἥλιος (hḗlios, “sun; east; day”), Czech slunce (“sun”), Polish słońce (“sun”), Russian солнце (solnce, “sun”), Serbo-Croatian сунце, sunce (“sun”), Slovene sonce (“sun”), Latgalian saule (“sun”), Latvian saũle (“sun”), Lithuanian sáulė (“sun”), Albanian diell (“sun”), Avestan 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (huuar^ə, “sun”), Persian خور (xwar, “sun”), Ossetian хор (xor), хур (xur, “sun”), Sanskrit सूर्य (sūrya, “sun”), Tocharian A swāñce (“beam, ray”), Tocharian B swāñco (“beam, ray”).
- countable, uncountableThe direction towards the pole to the right-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 180°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the southern side of the invariable plane.
“Germany is south of Denmark.”
- countable, uncountableThe southern region or area; the inhabitants thereof.
“Just before independence (in 1955) the military garrison in the south rebelled and that was the beginning of a civil war between the north and the south ...”
“What was said [prior to 2003] is that the south rebelled. Even then; rebelled? What rebelled? Who was supporting Saddam other than the people of the south?”
“When Nimeiri ended that autonomy in 1983, the south took up arms. This Second Sudanese Civil War ended only after four years of formal talks […]”
- countable, uncountableIn a church: the direction to the right-hand side of a person facing the altar.
“If candidates stand on the liturgical south facing the presider and liturgical assistants on the liturgical north, it will present better visual lines for the congregation than if they stand facing ea”
“It is to be situated in the chancel on the right (i.e., liturgical south) side of the church.”
“It was moved from its original location in 1507 hardly a decade after it was completed, to the bottom of the liturgical south aisle along with the free-standing chapel of the relic of the lance.”
- countable, uncountableThe negative or south pole of a magnet
- not-comparableToward the south; southward.
- not-comparablefrom the south.
- not-comparableOf or pertaining to the south; southern.
- not-comparablePertaining to the part of a corridor used by southbound traffic.
- not-comparableDesignating, or situated in, the liturgical south.
“Throughout the book I refer directionally to the altar and chancel of St. Andrew's as situated at ecclesiastical east (to avoid overcomplicating matters), not geographical or magnetic southeast. Thus,”
- Toward the south; southward.
- Downward.
- figurativelyIn an adverse direction or trend.
“His fortunes have been going south ever since he was tricked into investing in that ostrich farm.”
- Of wind, from the south.
- To turn or move toward the south; to veer toward the south.
- To come to the meridian; to cross the north and south line.
“The moon souths at nine.”
- countable, uncountableThe southern part of any region; alternative letter-case form of south.
- US, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsisEllipsis of Old South, the states which formed the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
- US, countable, uncountableThe south-eastern states of the United States, including many of the same states as formed the Confederacy.
“Many sincere white people in the South privately oppose segregation and discrimination, but they are apprehensive lest they be publicly condemned.”
“Just when the blacks had had their hopes for equality and justice raised, after centuries of misery and despair, they awoke one morning to discover that their future was in the hands of a President bo”
“Of course, living in the South was never an option—the main problem being they have too much respect for authority; they're soldier-sniffers and cop lovers. I don't respect that, and I could never liv”
- India, countable, uncountableThe southern states of India.
- countable, uncountableThe Global South.
- UK, countable, uncountableAntarctica.
“Over three weeks in 2019, Kaefer spent time at three English-speaking Antarctic stations observing and gathering data from workers based on what the US station refers to as “The Ice”, or the British c”
- countable, uncountableA surname.
- abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, informalEllipsis of South College, Durham.
Formssouths(plural) · further south(comparative) · farther south(comparative) · furthest south(superlative) · farthest south(superlative) · souths(present, singular, third-person) · southing(participle, present) · southed(participle, past) · southed(past) · Souths(plural)