left

English Online Dictionary. What means left‎? What does left mean?

English

Etymology 1

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”).

Alternative forms

• (political left): Left

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛft/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛft̞/
  • (Dublin) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛf/, /ˈlɛfʔ/
• Rhymes: -ɛft

Adjective

left (comparative more left or lefter, superlative most left or leftmost)

1. 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: ←

   Synonyms: sinister, sinistral

   Antonyms: right, dexter, dextral

2. (geography) 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.
3. (politics) Left-wing; pertaining to the political left.

   Antonym: right

Derived terms

left direction:

left-wing (politics):

Translations

Adverb

left (not comparable)

1. On the left side.

   Antonym: right

2. Towards the left side.

   Antonym: right

3. Towards the political left.

   Antonym: right

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

left (plural lefts)

2. The left side or direction.

   Synonyms: 9 o'clock, port

3. (politics) The left-wing political parties as a group; citizens holding left-wing views as a group.

4. The left hand or fist.
5. (boxing) A punch delivered with the left fist.
6. (surfing) A wave breaking from left to right (viewed from the shore).

   Antonym: right

Synonyms

• (political left): left wing, leftists

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English left, variant of laft (“remaining, left”), from Old English lǣfd, ġelǣfd, past participle of lǣfan (“to leave”). More at leave.

Verb

left

1. simple past and past participle of leave (“depart, separate from; (cause or allow to) remain”).

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English levit, ilevet, y-levyd, from Old English ġelȳfd, ġelȳfed, past participle of Old English ġelȳfan, lȳfan (“to allow, permit”), equivalent to leave (“to give leave to, allow, grant, permit”) +‎ -ed.

Verb

left

1. simple past and past participle of leave (“permit”).

References

• The Concise Dictionary of English Etymology, Walter W. Skeat.

Anagrams

• flet, felt, Felt, FLET, FELT, TEFL

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English left, from Old English lyft.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛft/

Adjective

left

1. left

Derived terms

• left-vooted

References

• Kathleen A. Browne (1927) “THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD.”, in Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of lreland (Sixth Series)‎^[2], volume 17, number 2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, page 129