Where does “centre-left” come from?
centre-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...
centre-left (English): Leaning to the left but closer to the centre on the left–right political spectrum than other leftist variants
Definitions
- Leaning to the left but closer to the centre on the left–right political spectrum than other leftist variants
Ancestry of “centre-left”, step by step
centre-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... |