larboard
9.9
On the left side of a ship or plane when you face forward
- adjective
- Archaic
:
de babor
- Your course is larboard, and bear straight until you see the sign.
Examples
-
When onboard the ship, the captain always reminded the crew to check for obstacles on the larboard side.
-
The sailor shouted, 'Steer to larboard to avoid the rocks on the right!'
-
In the storm, the crew was instructed to secure all equipment on the larboard deck.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Surface Forms
larboard positive
Morphology
Etymology
Larboard (adjective) comes from the same old parts lade ('to load') and board ('side'), because it named the ship side used for loading and so meant the 'left' side; sailors later chose port instead to avoid mixing it up with 'starboard'.
