northwest
UK[ˌnɔːθˈwest]US[ˌnɔːrθˈwest]
n
the direction or point of the compass midway between north and west
adj
situated in, directed toward, or facing the northwest
adv
to or toward the northwest
Morpheme Breakdown
north
west
north
direction
west
direction
Etymology
the word 'northwest' is a transparent compound formed from two ancient germanic directional terms. 'north' and 'west' both descend from proto-germanic, with 'north' likely linked to the notion of 'left' (as one faces the rising sun), and 'west' associated with the evening and the setting sun. their combination in old english followed a simple, logical pattern for creating intermediate compass points, directly describing the direction halfway between the cardinal points of north and west. this compounding method remains highly productive in english for forming terms like 'southwest' and 'northeast', preserving the literal, geographical logic of its constituents.
Analysis
Structure: north (direction) + west (direction)
- north: from old english 'north', of germanic origin; related to dutch 'noord' and german 'nord'. functions as a directional root.
- west: from old english 'west', of germanic origin; related to dutch and german 'west'. functions as a directional root.
Examples
the storm is approaching from the northwest.
they sailed in a northwest direction for three days.
the northwest corner of the garden gets the most shade.