Where does “leftwardly” come from?
leftwardly (English) comes from English leftward, 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 — to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...
leftwardly (English): In a leftward direction
Ancestry of “leftwardly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | leftward | To or from the left |
| 2 | English | left | The opposite of right; toward the west when one... |
| 3 | Middle English | left | — |
| 4 | Middle English | laft | past participle of leave |
| 5 | Old English | læfd | — |
| 6 | Old English | lǣfan | to leave |
| 7 | Frankish | laibijan | to leave; to leave behind |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | laibijaną | to leave behind, to leave remaining |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | lībaną | to remain, to be left |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |