# left

Pronunciation: say "LEFT" /ˈlɛft/

## Verb

1. Simple past and past participle of leave. — simple past and past participle of leave (“depart, separate from; (cause or allow to) remain”).
   - Simple: The past form of leave, as in 'She left early' or 'I have left my keys at home.'
   - _He left the company after fifteen years._
   - _The train left the station right on time._

## Adjective

2. On, toward, or relating to the side opposite the right; a river's left bank is the one on the left when facing downstream.
   - Simple: On or toward the side opposite right.
   - _The patient reported numbness in her left foot._
   - _He always parts his hair on the left side._
3. Still present or available once everything else has been used or has gone, placed after the noun it describes.
   - Simple: Still there or still able to be used after the rest is gone, used after a noun.
   - _By the time we booked, the only seats left were in the back row._
   - _She spent the money left from her paycheck on a new pair of running shoes._
7. Relating to or characteristic of the political left; left-wing in orientation.
   - Simple: Belonging to or supporting the political left.
   - _The newspaper is known for its left editorial stance._
   - _Several left parties formed a coalition after the vote._

## Noun

4. The side or direction opposite the right, toward the west when one faces north.
   - Simple: The side or direction that is the opposite of right.
   - _Keep to the left as you enter the building._
   - _Her seat was the second one from the left._
6. Political parties on the left of the spectrum, together with the people who hold their views, considered collectively.
   - Simple: Political parties and people who support left-wing ideas, taken as a group.
   - _The left mobilized voters across the country._
   - _Divisions within the left weakened its campaign._
8. The left hand, or a punch thrown with the left fist.
   - Simple: Your left hand, or a hit made with your left fist.
   - _The pitcher throws with his left._
   - _He blocked the swing with his left._

## Adverb

5. On or toward the left side.
   - Simple: On the left side, or in the direction of the left.
   - _The kitchen sits left of the main hallway._
   - _His office is just left of the elevator._
9. Toward the political left, in the direction of more left-wing positions.
   - Simple: Toward left-wing ideas, or more support for the political left.
   - _The country drifted left during the recession._
   - _Younger generations tend to lean left on social issues._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A wave that breaks from left to right as seen from the shore.

## Origin

**Meanings 2–9** — From Middle English left (also luft, lift), from Old English left, lyft meaning "weak, clumsy, foolish", seen in Old English lyftādl ("palsy, paralysis"). It traces back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "hanging limply," with cognates in Scots, Frisian, and dialectal Dutch.
**Meaning 1** — Old English lǣfed, the past participle of lǣfan ("to leave"), gave Middle English laft ("remaining, left"), and left arose as a variant of that form.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/left (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).