Where does “left” come from?
Left comes from Middle English luft, from Old English lyft and Old English ġelȳfan, tracing back through Proto-Germanic luftuz to Proto-Indo-European roots lewp-, lew-, lip-, and ley-.
left (English): The opposite of right; toward the west when one...
Definitions
- The opposite of right; toward the west when one...
Ancestry of “left”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | left | — |
| 2 | Middle English | laft | past participle of leave |
| 3 | Old English | læfd | — |
| 4 | Old English | lǣfan | to leave |
| 5 | Frankish | laibijan | to leave; to leave behind |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | laibijaną | to leave behind, to leave remaining |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | lībaną | to remain, to be left |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |