Portside

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The left side of a ship or aircraft when facing forward toward the bow or nose
2. The left lateral aspect of a marine vessel when observing the direction of travel serves as a navigational reference for sailors
3. The side to the left of a vessel or plane when directed toward the front

Etymology: "Portside" is a plain compound, built from "port," the nautical term for the left-hand side of a vessel, and "side," the familiar English word for an edge or flank. The result is simply the left side of a ship or aircraft as seen by someone facing forward toward the bow or nose. The interesting part is "port" itself. Sailors once steered with a tiller on the right, so the vessel's left side was kept clear for mooring at the quay, and that side came to be called the "larboard" side. Because "larboard" sounded too much like "starboard," the right-hand steering side, it was dropped in favour of "port" to avoid confusion during orders shouted in wind and waves. "Portside" therefore preserves that older nautical logic in a single word.

Synonyms: left side, larboard, port, left, starboard

Antonyms: starboard