northboundadj.adv.n.
/ˈnɔːθbaʊnd/, U.S. /ˈnɔrθˌbaʊnd/ A. adj.
Of a train, ship, etc.: bound for the north; (also) intended for northbound travellers.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > [adjective] > to specific point of compass
south about1646
northbound1823
westbound1847
downbound1849
southbound1850
eastbound1871
1823 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) XVI. 6/2 In time of war, it [sc. Longhope] is the usual rendezvous of our north-bound fleets.
1865 W. G. Palgrave Narr. Journey through Arabia I. viii. 333 The town..is the meeting-point and depot of the north-bound commerce from Sedeyr, ̛̛Aareḍ, Woshem, and whatever adjoins them.
1881 Ann. Rep. Alabama Railroad Comm. I. 58 While attending the North-bound freight train No. 24 as brakeman, I fell.
1891 Scribner's Mag. Sept. 282/1 The traveller boards the north-bound steamer.
1939 G. Household Rogue Male 78 At the bottom of the Piccadilly escalator you turn left for the north-bound trains... I ran on to the north-bound platform.
1998 High Country News 22 June 2/2 The northbound lanes are defined by a high noise barrier on one side and concrete bumpers on the other.
B. adv.
Towards the north; in a northerly direction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > North > [adverb]
northeOE
by northc893
northwardseOE
northwardOE
benorth1087
norwarda1450
northly1480
northerly1538
northernly1576
northenwards1591
at north1625
septentrionally1646
north-about1673
norwards1673
northernly1679
northwardly1726
anorth1807
north-away1820
northbound1867
up-along1908
1867 Rules Govt. Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad (new ed.) §44. 18 Four distinct blasts of the Whistle will be given by Main Line Trains and Engines, north bound, in approaching Yellow Creek.
1879 Harper's Mag. July 165/1 All along the shore stretches the row of hostelries, beginning..with Whaley's Cottage, continuing north-bound with the Mount Hope.
1921 Double Dealer Aug.–Sept. 53/1 You feel the weight of many cars North-bound.
1966 J. Sloman Virgil's Machines 58 Worried men of the secret police, Blocking the path on 5th Avenue, ripped apart northbound.
1997 Bloomington (Indiana) Herald-Times 8 Sept. a 2/3 Corey Kirkham..was driving from Bloomington northbound on Ind. 67.
C. n.
A northbound train, ship, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > going in specific direction
up1849
eastbound1892
westbound1897
northbound1900
southbound1903
1900 Macon (Georgia) Tel. 16 June 2/4 He called the operator..at the junction and asked if the north-bound had arrived.
1947 H. T. Teilhet Terrified Society xiv. 314 The northbound from San Salvador to Santa Ana and the border departed at two-thirty.
1975 D. Beaty Electr. Train 232 ‘When's the next train?’ ‘No more northbounds tonight.’
1991 Cruise Trav. Apr. 48/3 One-way four- and five-night cruises sail from Vancouver and Juneau; northbounds call on Ketchikan, Sitka, cruise Misty Fjord, Sergius Narrows, Tracy Arm.
2001 J. D. Ingles Guide N. Amer. Railroad Hot Spots b3/2 Ex-MP main used for southbounds and ex-MKT used for northbounds, forming a double track from San Antonio to San Marcos.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.adv.n.1823