Source etymology 1
Original entry ↗Designating the side of the body toward the west when one is facing north; the side of the body on which the heart is located in most humans; the opposite of right. This arrow points to the reader's left: ← · Anticlockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation. · Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's left when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the north bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥲ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the left side of the river. · Left-wing; pertaining to the political left.
The left side or direction. · The left-wing political parties as a group; citizens holding left-wing views as a group. · The left hand or fist. · A punch delivered with the left fist.
On the left side. · Towards the left side. · Towards the political left.
From Middle English left, luft, leoft, lift, lyft, from Old English left, lyft (“weak, clumsy, foolish”), attested in Old English lyftādl (“palsy, paralysis”), from Proto-Germanic *luft-, from *lubjaną (“to castrate, lop off”) (compare dialectal English lib, West Frisian lobje, Dutch lubben), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lewp-, *(s)lup- (“hanging limply”). Compare Scots left (“left”), North Frisian lefts, leeft, leefts (“left”), West Frisian lofts (“left”), obsolete Dutch lucht, leftsch, lefts, lefs (“left”), dialectal Dutch loof (“weak, worthless”), archaic Low German lucht (“left”).
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
- Root classification mention*lewbʰ-ine-pro
- Inherited-form mentionleftenm
- Inherited-form mentionleftang
- Cognate mentionlyftādlang · palsy, paralysis
- Derivation mention*luft-gem-pro
- Cognate mentionliben
- Cognate mentionlobjefy
- Cognate mentionlubbennl
- Derivation mention*(s)lewp-ine-pro
- Cognate mentionleftsco · left
- Cognate mentionleftsfrr
- Cognate mentionloftsfy · left
- Cognate mentionluchtnl
- Cognate mentionloofnl · weak, worthless
- Cognate mentionluchtnds · left
This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
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{
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"expansion": "West Frisian lofts (“left”)"
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"Designating the side of the body toward the west when one is facing north; the side of the body on which the heart is located in most humans; the opposite of right. This arrow points to the reader's left: ←",
"Anticlockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation.",
"Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's left when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the north bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥲ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the left side of the river.",
"Left-wing; pertaining to the political left."
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"The left side or direction.",
"The left-wing political parties as a group; citizens holding left-wing views as a group.",
"The left hand or fist.",
"A punch delivered with the left fist."
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"Towards the political left."
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