Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘ship’ and now look at ‘south’.
South Sea has had several meanings over the years and obviously so as some parts of the world hadn’t been discovered. From the late 14th century the South Sea was the Mediterranean, and in the early 15th century used for what is now known as the English Channel. Today it is normally used to refer to the Pacific Ocean in the southern hemisphere, as it has since the 1520s.
Go south, as in ‘vanish’ or ‘abscond’, has been in use since the 1920s.
South Africa has been used generally for the southern part of the continent since 1815, and for the nation since 1910.
Southern Cross is a constellation not visible in much of the northern hemisphere. It was named such by the English in 1756.
Nothing was described as Southern Fried, as a cooking style, until 1972.
Southwester when referring to a wind, gale, or storm is seen from 1833, and three years later pronounced as sou’wester to refer to the nautical coat protecting the wearer from any inclement weather.
Southeaster is first found rather earlier, first seen from 1797. This is not to say one was in use for more than three decades before the other, likely they were used concurrently and only seen as being from slightly different ages as there are no surviving records from earlier.
Southbound originally referred solely to the railways, although not seen until 1872.
Several familiar place names from around the globe have origins speaking of them as being seen as in the south. Australia, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Vietnam, Hunan (a province of China), Soweto (a community outside Johannesburg), Suffolk, Nanking (city in China),
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