nordwestlich

Nordwestlich is a German directional term meaning "toward the northwest" or "northwestern." It functions as an adverb and as an adjective to describe location, orientation, or movement in relation to a reference point. It is commonly used in geography, navigation, and meteorology to specify direction.

It is formed from Nord ("north") and West ("west") with the suffix -lich, producing an adjective meaning "northwestern" and an adverb indicating direction. The standard noun for the corresponding region or direction is Nordwesten.

Examples of usage include describing positions or routes: "Der See liegt nordwestlich der Stadt." "Eine nordwestliche Route führt durch das Gebirge." In meteorology one may encounter "nordwestlicher Wind," referring to a wind from the northwest or a northwestern wind direction, and one can say "aus nordwestlicher Richtung" to convey the same idea.

Etymology and related terms: nordwestlich is a compound formed from the cardinal directions Nord (north) and West (west) with the suffix -lich, a common pattern for directional adjectives in German. Related terms include Nordwesten (the northwest) and other directional compounds such as nordöstlich, südwestlich, and südöstlich, which follow the same morphological rules.