Nördliche

Nördliche is the inflected form of the German adjective nördlich, meaning northern. It is used to describe something located toward the north or belonging to the northern part of a region. In everyday language, nördliche appears before a noun in combination with a definite or possessive article or other determiners, for example die nördliche Küste or unsere nördliche Region. When used predicatively, the base form is typically nördlich (das Gebiet ist nördlich).

Etymology and meaning: The word derives from Nord, meaning north, combined with the suffix -lich, forming an adjective that expresses relation to the north. It is closely related to English northern and is part of the common German system of directional adjectives.

Grammar and declension: nördliche is the attributive form used with definite articles and similar determiners in many cases. Examples: die nördliche Region, der nördliche Fluss, das nördliche Gebiet. In the plural: die nördlichen Regionen. With indefinite articles or without articles, the endings change according to standard German adjective declension: ein nördliches Gebiet, nördliche Regionen. Predictive use remains nördlich: Das Gebiet ist nördlich gelegen.

Usage: The term is widespread in geography, navigation, and description of landscapes, cities, and climates. It is commonly paired with prepositions such as von or in, e.g., nördlich von Hamburg, die nördliche Küste Norwegens. It can also modify abstract concepts, as in nördliche Hemisphäre or nördliche Klimazonen.

See also: related directional terms include nord, norde, nördlichste, and other colorless cardinal adjectives used in German to describe location. In German orthography, the umlaut over o (ö) remains a key feature of the stem nördlich.