I. ˈsəthə(r)n adjective
Etymology: Middle English southren, from Old English sūtherne; akin to Old High German sundrōni, Old Norse suthrœnn; derivative from the root of English south (I)
1. often capitalized
a. : of, relating to, originating or dwelling in, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated South
southern mansion
southern belle
b. : being or characterizing the native speech of the r-dropping population of the southeastern U.S. — compare eastern 4, southern mountain
2.
a. : lying toward the south
patients on the southern side of a hospital recover faster — Herbert Spencer
b. : coming from the south
southern breezes
3. of a sign of the zodiac : situated south of the equator : austral
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from southern (I)
1. usually capitalized : an inhabitant of the South : southerner 1
2. or southern dialect usually capitalized S : the dialect of English spoken in the part of the United States that lies south of the southern boundary of Midland and includes most of the Chesapeake Bay area, the coastal plain and the greater part of the upland plateau in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Gulf states at least as far west as the valley of the Brazos in Texas