Definition of SOUTHERN

southern

Meanings

Plural: southerns

Adjective

  • in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
    • "southern hospitality"
    • "southern cooking"
    • "southern plantations"
  • situated in or coming from regions of the south
    • "the southern hemisphere"
    • "southern constellations"

Adjective Satellite

  • situated in or oriented toward the south
    • "a southern exposure"
  • from the south; used especially of wind
    • "southern breezes"

Adj

  • Of, facing, situated in, or related to the south.
  • Of or pertaining to a southern region, especially Southern Europe or the southern United States.
  • Of a wind: blowing from the south; southerly.

Noun

  • Synonym of southerner.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English southerne, sothern, sutherne, from Old English sūþerne (“southern, southerly, coming from the south; of southern make”), from Proto-Germanic *sunþrōnijaz (“southern”), from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂un-, *sh₂wen-, r/n-stem alternation of *sóh₂wl̥ (“sun”). Cognate with Scots southron, sudron (“southern”), Old Frisian sūthern, sūdern (“southern”), Middle Low German sūdern (“southern”), Middle High German sundern (“southern”), Icelandic suðrænn (“southern, tropical”).
By surface analysis, south + -ern.

Scrabble Score: 11

southern is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
southern is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
southern is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

southern is a valid Words With Friends word