southwest
/saʊθˈwɛst/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.10 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The intercardinal compass point halfway between south and west; specifically at a bearing of 225°.
adj
Of, in or pertaining to the southwest; southwestern.
adj
Situated toward or in the direction of the southwest; southwestward; southwesterly.
adj
Coming from the southwest; southwesterly.
adv
Towards or in the direction of the southwest; southwestwards.
name
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
name
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
name
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
Example Sentences
- "So this was my future home, I thought![…]Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams."
- "After a while we returned aboard Belvedere, set a course for the southwest, and sailed once more in frustration back to Tuk."
- "A southwest course."
- "A southwest wind."
- "We are travelling southwest at the moment."
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: southwest, sūþwest
Inflected Forms
southwests (plural)
south-west (alternative, UK)
sou'-west (alternative)
SW (alternative, abbreviation)
more southwest (comparative)
most southwest (superlative)
further southwest (comparative)
farther southwest (comparative)
furthest southwest (superlative)
farthest southwest (superlative)