Where does “center-left” come from?
center-left (English) comes from English left, from Middle English left, from Middle English laft, from Old English læfd, from Old English lǣfan, from Frankish laibijan, from Proto-Germanic laibijaną, from Proto-Germanic lībaną — to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...
Ancestry of “center-left”, step by step
center-left traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English left
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | left | The opposite of right; toward the west when one... |
| 2 | Middle English | left | — |
| 3 | Middle English | laft | past participle of leave |
| 4 | Old English | læfd | — |
| 5 | Old English | lǣfan | to leave |
| 6 | Frankish | laibijan | to leave; to leave behind |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | laibijaną | to leave behind, to leave remaining |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lībaną | to remain, to be left |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |
via English Center
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Center | The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference |
| 2 | Middle English | center | — |
| 3 | Middle French | centre | — |
| 4 | Latin | centrum | center |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κέντρον | Something with a sharp point: point, spike, spur;... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | *kéntron | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *ḱéntrom | pointed tool |