Usage of the word "left"

From the beginnings of conscious thought, when we became aware of what was around us, area was perceived as 6 basic directions: up and down, forward and backward, and right and left. Or is that right and wrong?





Countless examples have cropped up throughout history, pointing out this view of the western direction as somewhat negative. Left-handed people used to be ridiculed and shamed; to have left something is to be without - incomplete; and even the word itself has numerous negative connotations.





LEFT


From Middle English, left, lift, luft; from Anglo-Saxon, left, lyft lit. worthless, weak allied to Anglo-Saxon lyft-бdl, a palsy.





The Oxford Pocket Thesaurus of Current English ... left adjective 1. the left side synonyms : left-hand, sinistral, sinister, sinistrous; port.





The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology ... left side opposite to the right. XIII. ME. luft , lift , left :- OE. * lyft (as in lyftādl leftdisease, paralysis), Kentish left inanis; the primary sense of weak, worthless is found in EFris, luf





WordReference.com ... left:





French:


gauche:


adj clumsy (awkward)


adj sinister (left)


adj left-hand (not skillful)


adj fumbling (Construction)


adj warped


adj ungainly


adj gawky





Italian:


sinistro:


adj dark (sinister)


adj grim


adj sinister


adj dull (grim)


adj dark (sinister)


(incidente) nm accident





Our aim, through the use of this petition, is to officially recognise the negative sides and uses of the word "left"; to make it available to use in place of more common, obscene words. This will help link the word back to its original ties, and improve todays vocabulary by providing a new buzz-word to use instead of other distasteful ones.





If you agree that the use of "left" should be broadened in its usage, and wish to contribute, please sign below.