northwestern
UK[ˌnɔːθˈwestən]US[ˌnɔːrθˈwestərn]
adj
located in, towards, or coming from the northwest part of a place
adj
of or relating to a region in the northwestern part of a country, especially the northwestern united states
Morpheme Breakdown
north
west
ern
north
direction
west
direction
ern
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'northwestern' is a modern english compound formed by combining two cardinal directions, 'north' and 'west', with the adjectival suffix '-ern'. both directional roots, 'north' and 'west', descend from proto-germanic and have cognates across germanic languages, originally describing fundamental points of orientation based on the sun's path. the suffix '-ern' is a native english element used to form adjectives of location or direction, as seen in words like 'eastern' and 'southern'. the logical construction of the word is transparent: it literally means 'pertaining to the direction that is both north and west', which evolved into its modern usage to describe a specific quadrant or region.
Analysis
Structure: north (direction) + west (direction) + ern (adjective suffix)
north: from old english 'north', of germanic origin; indicates the cardinal direction.
west: from old english 'west', of germanic origin; indicates the cardinal direction.
ern: from old english '-erne', an adjective-forming suffix; meaning 'of or pertaining to'.
Examples
the storm is moving into the northwestern part of the state.
she attended a prestigious northwestern university.
the expedition aimed to map the northwestern coastline.