Etimology
From Middle English left, luft, leoft, lift, lyft, from Old English left, lyft (“weak, clumsy, foolish”), attested in Old English lyftādl (“palsy, paralysis”), from Proto-Germanic *luft-, from *lubjaną (“to castrate, lop off”) (compare dialectal English lib, West Frisian lobje, Dutch lubben), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lewp-, *(s)lup- (“hanging limply”). Compare Scots left (“left”), North Frisian lefts, leeft, leefts (“left”), West Frisian lofts (“left”), dialectal Dutch loof (“weak, worthless”), Low German lucht (“left”).
adjective
left (comparative more left or lefter, superlative most left or leftmost)
Designating the side of the body toward the west when one is facing north; the side of the body on which the heart is located in most humans; the opposite of right. This arrow points to the reader's left: ←
(geography) Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's left when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the north bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥲ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the left side of the river.
(politics) Left-wing; pertaining to the political left.
Examples
Synonyms: sinister, sinistral
Antonyms: right, dexter, dextral
The left side.
The following dispatch has been received from Viceroy Alexieff, dated Mukden, March 22:“Gen. Mitchenkow reports that on March 17 our scouts approached Anju and observed on the left bank of the Ching Chong river, opposite Anju, retrenchments made by the enemy.
Antonym: right
It should be noted that there is now no intelligentsia that is not in some sense "Left". Perhaps the last right-wing intellectual was T. E. Lawrence. Since about 1930 everyone describable as an “intellectual” has lived in a state of chronic discontent with the existing order.
adverb
left (not comparable)
On the left side.
Towards the left side.
Towards the political left.
Examples
Antonym: right
Antonym: right
Turn left at the corner. NO! Your other left.
Antonym: right
The East Coast of the US leans left in elections.
noun
left (plural lefts)
The left side or direction.
(politics) The left-wing political parties as a group; citizens holding left-wing views as a group.
The left hand or fist.
(boxing) A punch delivered with the left fist.
(surfing) A wave breaking from left to right (viewed from the shore).
Examples
Synonyms: 9 o'clock, port
The Left left workers behind, thinking they had a winning demographic coalition. It hasn't really worked out for them yet.
The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat; Crool Forchin's dirty left 'as smote me soul.
Antonym: right
Related words
synonyms
(political left): left wing, leftists
Etimology
From Middle English left, variant of laft (“remaining, left”), from Old English lǣfd, ġelǣfd, past participle of lǣfan (“to leave”). More at leave.
verb
left
simple past and past participle of leave (“depart, separate from; (cause or allow to) remain”).
Examples
There's not much food left.
Afore we got to the shanty Colonel Applegate stuck his head out of the door. His temper had been getting raggeder all the time, and the sousing he got when he fell overboard had just about ripped what was left of it to ravellings.
Shepard: What's wrong with your assistant?Dr. Warren: Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a bit... unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin.Dr. Manuel: Is it madness to see the future? To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand there is no escape? No hope? No, I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!Dr. Warren: I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack.
Etimology
From Middle English levit, ilevet, y-levyd, from Old English ġelȳfd, ġelȳfed, past participle of Old English ġelȳfan, lȳfan (“to allow, permit”), equivalent to leave (“to give leave to, allow, grant, permit”) + -ed.
verb
left
simple past and past participle of leave (“permit”).
Examples
We were not left go to the beach after school except on a weekend.