north

en-noun

north (countable and uncountable, plural norths)

From Middle English north, from Old English norþ, from Proto-West Germanic *norþr, from Proto-Germanic *nurþrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nér (“below (the surface)”). The meaning developed either from "region where the sun is below (the earth)" or from "left side of someone who turns to the east when praying".
Cognate with various Germanic counterparts such as Dutch noord, West Frisian noard, German Nord, Danish and Norwegian nord; also with Greek νέρτερος (nérteros, “infernal, lower”) and Sanskrit नरक (naraka, “hell”)

cog

по́лночь f (pólnočʹ) (obsolete, now means "midnight")

(physics) The positive or north pole of a magnet, which seeks the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole (which, for its magnetic properties, is a south pole).


east

westward

antonym(s) of “situated or lying in or towards the east”

From Middle English est, from Old English ēast, from Proto-West Germanic *austr, from Proto-Germanic *austrą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér (“east”). Compare West Frisian east, Dutch oost, German Ost, Danish øst, Norwegian Nynorsk aust, Swedish öst.

Situated or lying in or towards the east; eastward.

eastward

the east front of a cathedral

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, the altar is located at the east end of the church, and the gallery, at the west.

2014, Paul Porwoll, Against All Odds: History of Saint Andrew's Parish Church, Charleston, 1706-2013, WestBow Press, →ISBN, page 365:

The tapestry by Graham Sutherland that occupies the whole wall of the liturgical east and geographic north of the cathedral is recognisable […] a huge image of Christ on the [liturgical] east end, filling the entire wall and to be visible through the [liturgical] West Window (Fig. 24.2).

2019, Sarah Hosking, "Coventry Cathedral", in Prickett Stephen Prickett, Edinburgh Companion to the Bible and the Arts, Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 371:

(ecclesiastical) Designating, or situated in, the liturgical east.


east

→ Cornish: est


south

en-noun

south (countable and uncountable, plural souths)

From Middle English south, from Old English sūþ, from Proto-West Germanic *sunþr, from Proto-Germanic *sunþrą (whence also West Frisian súd, Dutch zuid, German Süd, Danish syd). Ultimately equivalent to sun + -ther (“-ward”).

по́лдень m (póldenʹ) (obsolete, now means "noon")

Germany is south of Denmark.

The 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.


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, […] The north side faces the river (beyond the subdivision behind the church), and the south side, Ashley River Road.

(ecclesiastical) Designating, or situated in, the liturgical south.


south

en-verb

south (third-person singular simple present souths, present participle southing, simple past and past participle southed)

souths (present singular third-person)
southing (participle present)
southed (participle past)
southed (past)

The moon souths at nine.

(astronomy) To come to the meridian; to cross the north and south line.


west

PIE word
 *wek(ʷ)speros
From Middle English west, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr, from Proto-Germanic *westrą.
Cognate with Scots wast, Saterland Frisian Wääste, West Frisian west, Dutch west, German West, Danish vest. Cognate also with Old French west, French ouest, Spanish oeste, Portuguese oeste, Catalan oest, Galician oeste, Italian ovest (all ultimately borrowings of the English word). Compare also Latin vesper (“evening”), with which it is possibly cognate via Proto-Indo-European.

Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward.


northeast

en-adj

northeast (not generally comparable, comparative more northeast, superlative most northeast)

more northeast (comparative)
most northeast (superlative)
north-east (alternative UK)
nor'-east (alternative)
NE (alternative abbreviation)

A northeast wind.

Coming from the northeast; northeasterly.


northwest

northwest (not generally comparable, comparative more northwest, superlative most northwest)

more northwest (comparative)
most northwest (superlative)
north-west (alternative UK)
nor'-west (alternative)
NW (alternative abbreviation)

A northwest wind.

Coming from the northwest; northwesterly.


southwest

southwest (not generally comparable, comparative more southwest, superlative most southwest)

more southwest (comparative)
most southwest (superlative)
south-west (alternative UK)
sou'-west (alternative)
SW (alternative abbreviation)

From Middle English southwest, southewest, from Old English sūþwest and sūþanwestan, equivalent to south + west. Cognate with West Frisian súdwest, Dutch zuidwest, German Südwesten, Danish sydvest, Swedish sydväst.

A southwest wind.

Coming from the southwest; southwesterly.


southeast

southeast (not generally comparable, comparative more southeast, superlative most southeast)

more southeast (comparative)
most southeast (superlative)
south-east (alternative UK)
sou'-east (alternative)
SE (alternative abbreviation)

A southeast wind.

Coming from the southeast; southeasterly.


NE

Abbreviation of Nebraska: a state of the United States.

Initialism of New England: a geographic region of the United States.

New England

(software) Initialism of New Executable (executable file format used by early 16-bit versions of Microsoft Windows and IBM OS/2).


NE

Initialism of northeast, a cardinal point of the compass.


s

head

s (lower case, upper case S, plural ss or s's)

The nineteenth letter of the English alphabet, called ess and written in the Latin script.


s

The ordinal number nineteenth, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called ess and written in the Latin script.


s

Abbreviations.
s
# (Stenoscript) the sound /s/ in a word.
#: (an orthographic ⟨s⟩ pronounced /z/ is transcribed z)
# (Stenoscript) Abbreviation of us.
# (Stenoscript) Abbreviation of saw.
# (Stenoscript) the prefix or initial syllable sub-
#: (some manuals advise capital S for the prefix sub-)

(metrology) Abbreviation of scruple, a unit of mass in the apothecaries' system.

scruple

(physics) Abbreviation of strange quark.


w

w (lower case, upper case W, plural ws or w's)

The twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, called double-u and written in the Latin script.


SW

en-noun

SW (countable and uncountable, plural SWs)

PAOTING (Ch’ing-Yüan, Tsingyuan), capital of Hopeh province, China, is 90 mi. (145 km.) S.W. of Peking on the Peking-Hankow railway.

1968, Joseph Earle Spencer, “Paoting”, in Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 17, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 237, column 1:


SSE

Scottish English
Scottish English#English

(linguistics) Initialism of Standard Scottish English/Scottish Standard English.


WSW

Western Sydney Wanderers FC
w:Western Sydney Wanderers FC

(soccer) Initialism of Western Sydney Wanderers FC.


NW

NW (countable and uncountable, plural NWs)


north by northeast

Next go north by northeast to the nose of a beast.

1997, Susan Julio, Great Map Mysteries, →ISBN, page 21:

Ruling out any areas that have been bombed, we have decided to head north by northeast.

2010, J. L. Bourne, Beyond Exile: Day by Day Armageddon, →ISBN:

And a plane from Wotje saw a submarine 500 miles north by northeast of that island.

2014, Gordon W. Prange, Donald M. Goldstein, Katherine V. Dillon, Miracle at Midway, →ISBN:

North-northeast, the compass point between north and northeast.


east by northeast

East northeast, the compass point between northeast and east.


north-northeast

north northeast (alternative)
north-north-east (alternative)
nor'-nor'-east (alternative)
NNE (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between north and northeast; specifically at a bearing of 22.5°.


north-northeast

Of, in or pertaining to the north-northeast; north-northeastern.

A north-northeast wind.

Coming from the north-northeast; north-northeasterly.


north-northwest

north northwest (alternative)
north-north-west (alternative)
nor'-nor'-west (alternative)
NNW (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between northwest and north; specifically at a bearing of 337.5°.


north-northwest

Of, in or pertaining to the north-northwest; north-northwestern.

A north-northwest wind.

Coming from the north-northwest; north-northwesterly.


E

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 誒 /诶 (ê̄), from E ɛ⁵⁵.

A Tai-Chinese mixed language spoken primarily in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Guangxi, China; Kjang E.

誒話 /诶话

a Tai-Chinese mixed language spoken primarily in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County


S

head

S (upper case, lower case s, plural Ss or S's)


S

en-noun

S (countable and uncountable, plural Ss)

Abbreviation.
S
# (Stenoscript) the sound sequence /st/ in a word, e.g. it's the transcription of the suffix -ist.
# (Stenoscript) the prefix sub-
#: [some manuals advise lower-case s for the prefix sub-]
# (Stenoscript) Abbreviation of south.
# (education) Initialism of satisfactory.


W

head

W (upper case, lower case w, plural Ws or W's)

The twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, called double U and written in the Latin script.


W

Abbreviations of various words beginning with W.


W

(US politics, informal) George W. Bush (born 1946), the 43rd president of the United States (2001–2009).


Zephyr

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-zephyr.wav


Auster

For a Tempeſt. Take Eurus, Zephyr, Auſter and Boreas, and caſt them together in one Verſe. Add to theſe of Rain, Lightning, and of Thunder (the loudeſt you can) quantum ſufficit. Mix your Clouds and Billows well together till they foam, and thicken your Deſcription here and there with a Quickſand. Brew your Tempeſt well in your Head, before you ſet it a blowing.

1714 June 10, [Alexander Pope], The Guardian, volume I, number 78, London: Printed for J[acob] Tonson, at Shakespear's-Head over-against Catherine-street in the Strand, page 332:

(Roman mythology) The god of the south wind.

Auster and Aquilon with winged Steeds
All ſweating, tilt about the watery heauens,
With ſhiuering ſpeares enforcing thunderclaps,
And from their ſhields ſtrike flames of lightening

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii:

‘My homeland too,’ Aetius grinned. ‘I was born under the Auster.’

1989, Anthony Burgess, “Hun”, in The Devil's Mode:

(poetic) The south wind, especially when personified.


east-northeast

east northeast (alternative)
east-north-east (alternative)
ENE (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between northeast and east; specifically at a bearing of 67.5°.


east-southeast

east southeast (alternative)
east-south-east (alternative)
ESE (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between east and southeast; specifically at a bearing of 112.5°.


south-southeast

south southeast (alternative)
south-south-east (alternative)
sou'-sou'-east (alternative)
SSE (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between southeast and south; specifically at a bearing of 157.5°.


south-southeast

Of, in or pertaining to the south-southeast; south-southeastern.

A south-southeast wind.

Coming from the south-southeast; south-southeasterly.


south-southwest

south southwest (alternative)
south-south-west (alternative)
sou'-sou'-west (alternative)
SSW (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between south and southwest; specifically at a bearing of 202.5°.


south-southwest

Of, in or pertaining to the south-southwest; south-southwestern.

A south-southwest wind.

Coming from the south-southwest; south-southwesterly.


west-southwest

west southwest (alternative)
west-south-west (alternative)
WSW (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between southwest and west; specifically at a bearing of 247.5°.


west-southwest

Of, in or pertaining to the west-southwest; west-southwestern.

A west-southwest wind.

Coming from the west-southwest; west-southwesterly.


west-northwest

west northwest (alternative)
west-north-west (alternative)
WNW (alternative abbreviation)

The compass point halfway between west and northwest; specifically at a bearing of 292.5°.


west-northwest

Of, in or pertaining to the west-northwest; west-northwestern.

A west-northwest wind.

Coming from the west-northwest; west-northwesterly.


never eat shredded wheat

never eat soggy wheat (alternative)
never eat soggy waffles (alternative)
never eat soggy Weet-Bix (alternative Australia)

From the initials of north, east, south and west.

Which sentence might help you remember that the points of the compass, listed clockwise, are north, east, south, and west? […] Never eat shredded wheat.

1990, McDougal, Littell English: Test Booklet, McDougal, Littell, →ISBN, page 92:

The directions are easy . . . North, east, south, west. ‘Never eat shredded wheat.’ That’s how I remember them. Just start at the top of the map and think ‘Never eat shredded wheat.’ The first letter in each word begins with the same letters as the directions.

2006, Peter D. Eckel, Toward Higher Ground: Reclaiming Public Confidence in a Competitive Environment, American Council on Education, page 291:

So we tried to work on that, how to remember that, and you know with your right hand and your left hand and never eat shredded wheat and all those little memory tricks.

2006, Mark Dennis Vagle, When Students Do Not Understand: Recognition and Response in the Action Present of Teaching, University of Minnesota, page 127:

If Lachemi was hiding somewhere it’d be in Ryerson’s equivalent of a sneaky labyrinth: Kerr Hall. You look around with a strong sense of direction. Maybe he’s perched on the shiny basketball court in the Kerr Hall gym. Or doing lab experiments in Kerr Hall south. O-or m-maybe he’s in a classroom in the basement of Kerr Hall E-e-east? West? Every hall starts to look the same. You desperately mutter, “Never eat shredded wheat,” whipping your head around. You check the compass on your phone and it’s going haywire.

2020 April 1, Andrea Josic, Nathaniel Crouch, Zachary Roman, “Help deliver a secret message to Rye’s president”, in The Eyeopener, volume 53, number 21, page 7:

Despite the compass part of the body art having been beautifully drawn, the large inking had quite a big mistake. / Never eat shredded wheat, right? One of the easy ways to remember the four directions… / Well it seems like someone may have missed that class in school as the tattoo artist mixed up the letters.

2022 June 14, Layla Nicholson, “People left in fits of giggles at 'idiotic' mistake on tattoo of compass”, in Daily Star, archived from the original on 2022-06-14:

I have no sense of direction… I mean literally none! If someone tells me it’s north I still have to do “never eat shredded wheat” in my head to work out where to point, and even then I’m still generally going the wrong way.

2023 May 24, Natalie Lewis, quotee, “My London: Natalie Lewis – PR Expert & Author”, in LDNFASHION, archived from the original on 2023-05-24:

(mnemonic) Used to learn the cardinal points.


north by east

The compass point halfway between north and north-northeast; specifically at a bearing of 11.25°.


north by west

The compass point halfway between north and north-northwest, specifically 348.75°, abbreviated as NbW.


south by east

The compass point halfway between south and south-southeast, specifically 168.75°, abbreviated as SbE.


south by west

The compass point halfway between south and south-southwest, specifically 191.25°, abbreviated as SbW.


east by north

The compass point halfway between east and east-northeast, specifically 78.75°.


east by south

The compass point halfway between east and east-southeast, specifically 101.25°, abbreviated as EbS.


west by north

The compass point halfway between west and west-northwest, specifically 281.25°, abbreviated as WbN.


west by south

The compass point halfway between west and west-southwest, specifically 258.75°


northeast by east

The compass point halfway between northeast and east-northeast, specifically 56.25°, abbreviated as NEbE.


NEbE

northeast by east
northeast by east#English


northeast by north

The compass point halfway between northeast and north-northeast, specifically 33.75°, abbreviated as NEbN.


NEbN

northeast by north
northeast by north#English


northwest by north

The compass point halfway between northwest and north-northwest, specifically 326.25°, abbreviated as NWbN.


NWbN

northwest by north
northwest by north#English


northwest by west

The compass point halfway between northwest and west-northwest, specifically 303.75°, abbreviated as NWbW.


NWbW

northwest by west
northwest by west#English


southeast by east

The compass point halfway between southeast and east-southeast, specifically 123.75°, abbreviated as SEbE.


SEbE

southeast by east
southeast by east#English


southeast by south

The compass point halfway between southeast and south-southeast, specifically 146.25°, abbreviated as SEbS.


SEbS

southeast by south
southeast by south#English


southwest by south

The compass point halfway between southwest and south-southwest, specifically 213.75°, abbreviated as SWbS.


SWbS

southwest by south
southwest by south#English


southwest by west

The compass point halfway between southwest and west-southwest, specifically 236.25°, abbreviated as SWbW.


SWbW

southwest by west
southwest by west#English


Boreas

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Βορέᾱς (Boréās).

1714 June 10, [Alexander Pope], “A Receit to make an Epick Poem”, in The Guardian, volume I, number 78, London: Printed for J[acob] Tonson, at Shakespear's-Head over-against Catherine-street in the Strand, page 332:

BOREAS, one of the four Cardinal Winds, and one of the Deities of the Heathens, was the Son of Aſtræus and Aurora, and had his Seat at Thrace. Pindar calls him the King of Winds. [Footnote numbers omitted.]

1735, Pierre Bayle with Pierre des Maizeaux, The Dictionary Historical and Critical of Mr Peter Bayle. The Second Edition, Carefully Collated with the Several Editions of the Original; in which many Passages are Restored, and the Whole Greatly Augmented, particularly with a Translation of the Quotations from Eminent Writers in Various Languages. To which is Prefixed, the Life of the Author, Revised, Corrected, and Enlarged, by Mr Des Maizeaux, Fellow of the Royal Society, 2nd edition, volume II, London: Printed for J. J. and P. Knapton; [et al.], →OCLC, page 78:

Orithya was the daughter of Erectheus, and the prieſteſs of Boreas; for each of the winds has a preſiding deity, which the teleſtic art, or the art pertaining to ſacred myſteries, religiouſly cultivates. […] Orithya, therefore, becoming enthusiastic, being poſſeſſed by her proper God Boreas, and no longer energizing as a human being (for animals ceaſe to energize according to their own peculiarities, when poſſeſſed by ſuperior causes), died under the inſpiring influence, and thus was ſaid to have been raviſhed by Boreas.

1804, Plato, “The Phædrus”, in Floyer Sydenham, Thomas Taylor, transl., The Works of Plato, viz. His Fifty-five Dialogues, and Twelve Epistles, Translated from the Greek; Nine of the Dialogues by the Late Floyer Sydenham, and the Remainder by Thomas Taylor: with Occasional Annotations on the Nine Dialogues Translated by Sydenham, and Copious Notes, by the Latter Translator; in which is Given the Substance of nearly all the Existing Greek Ms. Commentaries on the Philosophy of Plato, and a Considerable Portion of such as are already Published. In Five Volumes, volume I, London: Printed for Thomas Taylor, by R. Wilks, Chancery-Lane; and sold by E. Jeffery, and R. E. Evans, Pall-Mall, page 293, footnote 2:

The promotion of Pan is matched by the new attention Athens paid to Boreas, god of the north wind, after he destroyed the Persian fleet off Artemision (Herodotus, 7.189) A tradition (λέγεται δε λόγος) held that the Athenians prayed to the god before the battle to assist them, the equivalent of the prebattle encounter between Pan and Pheidippides. As in the complaint of Pan, the god Boreas was remembered as assisting the Greeks before, in this case by having sent a storm off Mount Athos during the expedition under Mardonios (6.44.2).

1995, Sarah P. Morris, Daidalos and the Origins of Greek Art, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 322:

One very windy day, the god Boreas became a citizen of the town of Thurii, the new Sybaris in Magna Graecia. In more concrete terms, in 397 b.c. Dionysius of Syracuse, at war with the Carthaginians, launched an expedition of three hundred ships crammed with armed men – hoplites, men of bronze – against Thurii. The North Wind was blowing against them, and Boreas wrecked the ship. It was a disaster for Dionysius, but the citizens of Thurii, saved by the god Boreas, passed a decree granting citizenship to the wind.

2000, Giulia Sissa with Marcel Detienne, “When the Olympians Donned the Citizen's Costume”, in Janet Lloyd, transl., The Daily Life of the Greek Gods, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 137:

(Greek mythology) The god of the North Wind.


Zephyrus

From Middle English Zeferus, Zepherus, Zephirus, Zephyrus, from Latin zephyrus, from Ancient Greek Ζέφυρος (Zéphuros). Not related to Latin zephirum (“zero”). Doublet of zefir, zéphire, Zephyr, and zephyr.

doublet

(Greek mythology) The Ancient Greek god of the west wind, supposed to be the gentlest of the winds and the messenger of spring. His parents are Eos/Aurora and Astraeus, and his brothers are Boreas, Notus and Eurus, (the Anemoi), and the Astra Planeta. His wife is Chloris and their son is Karpos. His Roman counterpart is Favonius.


Favonius

(Roman mythology) The god of the west wind. He is also the husband of Flora and the father of Karpos. He is the Roman counterpart of Zephyrus.


north by northwest

North-northwest, the compass point between north and northwest (that is, at 337.5°).