Where does “αριστερός” come from?

αριστερός (Greek) comes from Ancient Greek ἀριστερός, from Ancient Greek ἄριστος, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éristos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.

αριστερός (Greek): left, left-handed; left; left-wing

Definitions

  1. left, left-handed; left; left-wing

Ancestry of “αριστερός”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekἀριστερόςleft; ominous, ill boding; clumsy, awkward
2Ancient Greekἄριστοςbest (in multivarious contexts)
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éristosfittest, most fitting, most suitable
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂éristos →Every word from Ancient Greek ἄριστος →