Link Centre Dictionary

Also Inflected form of leave

left

UK/ˈlɛft/ US/ˈɫɛft/ very common
adjective (4) noun (5) adverb (1)

adjective

1.

being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the west when facing north

  • “my left hand”
  • “left center field”
  • “the left bank of a river is bank on your left side when you are facing downstream”
Antonyms
Similar
2.

not used up

  • “leftover meatloaf”
  • “she had a little money left over so she went to a movie”
  • “some odd dollars left”
  • “saved the remaining sandwiches for supper”
  • “unexpended provisions”
Synonyms
Similar
3.

intended for the left hand

  • “I rarely lose a left-hand glove”
Synonyms
Similar
4.

noun

1.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

  • “she stood on the left”
Antonyms
2.

those who support varying degrees of social or political or economic change designed to promote the public welfare

Synonyms
3.

the hand that is on the left side of the body

  • “jab with your left”
Synonyms
4.

the piece of ground in the outfield on the catcher's left

  • “the batter flied out to left”
Synonyms
5.

a turn to the left

  • “take a left at the corner”

adverb

1.

toward or on the left; also used figuratively

  • “he looked right and left”
  • “the political party has moved left”
Antonyms

Origin

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”), obsolete Dutch lucht, leftsch, lefts, lefs (“left”), dialectal Dutch loof (“weak, worthless”), archaic Low German lucht (“left”).

Phrases

  • allemande left
  • audience left
  • Copenhagen left
  • dirtbag left
  • flush left
  • flush left and right
  • give one's left nut
  • go left
  • hang a left
  • house left
  • left and right
  • left arm orthodox

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.