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adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or located on or near the side of a person or thing that is turned toward the west when the subject is facing north (opposed to right).
2.
(often initial capital letter) of or belonging to the political Left; having liberal or radical views in politics.
noun
4.
the left side or something that is on the left side.
5.
a turn toward the left: Make a left at the next corner.
6.
the Left,
a.
the complex of individuals or organized groups advocating liberal reform or revolutionary change in the social, political, or economic order.
b.
the position held by these people. Compare right (def. 33a, b).
7.
(usually initial capital letter) Government.
a.
the part of a legislative assembly, especially in continental Europe, that is situated on the left side of the presiding officer and that is customarily assigned to members of the legislature who hold more radical and socialistic views than the rest of the members.
b.
the members of such an assembly who sit on the left.
8.
EXPANDBoxing. a blow delivered by the left hand.
9.
COLLAPSEBaseball. left field (def. 1).
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Left
is always a great word to know.
So is fraction. Does it mean:
| problem solving defined only for an isolated set of points, using only arithmetic and algebra; not involving calculus |
| a number usually expressed in the form a/b, a ratio of algebraic quantities similarly expressed |
adverb
10.
toward the left: She moved left on entering the room.
Origin:
1125–75; 1935–40 for def. 6; Middle English left, lift, luft, Old English left idle, weak, useless, Kentish form of lyft- (in lyftādl palsy); cognate with Dutch, Low German lucht; akin to Middle English libbe (modern dial. lib) to castrate, cognate with Dutch, Low German lubben
1125–75; 1935–40 for def. 6; Middle English left, lift, luft, Old English left idle, weak, useless, Kentish form of lyft- (in lyftādl palsy); cognate with Dutch, Low German lucht; akin to Middle English libbe (modern dial. lib) to castrate, cognate with Dutch, Low German lubben
Example Sentences
- When you see the right side of the left photo next to the left side of the right photo, it looks lopsided in comparison.
- The brain's language center is located in the left side of the brain, which controls the right side of the body.
- If the obstacle is to your left, the motors on the left side of the belt will vibrate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb
Idiom1.
simple past tense and past participle of leave1.
2.
get left,
a.
to be left stranded.
b.
to miss an opportunity, objective, etc.
verb (used with object)
1.
to go out of or away from, as a place: to leave the house.
2.
to depart from permanently; quit: to leave a job.
3.
to let remain or have remaining behind after going, disappearing, ceasing, etc.: I left my wallet home. The wound left a scar.
4.
to allow to remain in the same place, condition, etc.: Is there any coffee left?
5.
EXPANDto let stay or be as specified: to leave a door unlocked.
6.
to let (a person or animal) remain in a position to do something without interference: We left him to his work.
8.
to give in charge; deposit; entrust: Leave the package with the receptionist. I left my name and phone number.
9.
to stop; cease; give up: He left music to study law.
10.
to disregard; neglect: We will leave this for the moment and concentrate on the major problem.
11.
to give for use after one's death or departure: to leave all one's money to charity.
12.
to have remaining after death: He leaves a wife and three children.
13.
to have as a remainder after subtraction: 2 from 4 leaves 2.
14.
COLLAPSENonstandard. let1 (defs. 1, 2, 6).
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases15.
to go away, depart, or set out: We leave for Europe tomorrow.
16.
leave alone. alone (def. 7).
17.
leave off,
a.
to desist from; cease; stop; abandon.
b.
to stop using or wearing: It had stopped raining, so we left off our coats.
c.
to omit: to leave a name off a list.
18.
leave out, to omit; exclude: She left out an important detail in her account.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English leven, Old English lǣfan (causative formation from base of lāf remainder; see lave2); cognate with Old High German leiban (compare German bleiben to remain), Old Norse leifa, Gothic -laibjan
before 900; Middle English leven, Old English lǣfan (causative formation from base of lāf remainder; see lave2); cognate with Old High German leiban (compare German bleiben to remain), Old Norse leifa, Gothic -laibjan
Related forms
leav·er, noun
Synonyms
1, 2. abandon, forsake, desert; relinquish. 9. forbear, renounce. 10. ignore, forget. 11. bequeath, will; devise, transmit.
1, 2. abandon, forsake, desert; relinquish. 9. forbear, renounce. 10. ignore, forget. 11. bequeath, will; devise, transmit.
Antonyms
1, 2. join.
1, 2. join.
Usage note
Leave is interchangeable with let when followed by alone with the sense “to refrain from annoying or interfering with”: Leave (or Let) her alone and she will solve the problem easily. When he was left (or let) alone without interruptions, the boy quickly assembled the apparatus. The use of leave alone for let alone in the sense “not to mention” is nonstandard: There wasn't any standing room, let (not leave) alone a seat, so I missed the performance.EXPAND
Other substitutions of leave for let are generally regarded as nonstandard: Let (not Leave) us sit down and talk this over. Let (not Leave) her do it her own way. The police wouldn't let (not leave) us cross the barriers. See also let1.
COLLAPSE
Leave is interchangeable with let when followed by alone with the sense “to refrain from annoying or interfering with”: Leave (or Let) her alone and she will solve the problem easily. When he was left (or let) alone without interruptions, the boy quickly assembled the apparatus. The use of leave alone for let alone in the sense “not to mention” is nonstandard: There wasn't any standing room, let (not leave) alone a seat, so I missed the performance.EXPAND
Other substitutions of leave for let are generally regarded as nonstandard: Let (not Leave) us sit down and talk this over. Let (not Leave) her do it her own way. The police wouldn't let (not leave) us cross the barriers. See also let1.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object), leaved, leav·ing.
to put forth leaves; leaf.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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|
Link To left
Collins
World English Dictionary
| left2 (lɛft) | |
| —vb | |
| the past tense and past participle of leave | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
leave
"permission," O.E. leafe, dat./acc. of leaf "permission," from W.Gmc. *lauba, cognate with O.E. lief "dear," the original idea being "approval resulting from pleasure." See also love, believe. In military sense, it is attested from 1771.
EXPANDleft
c.1200, from Kentish form of O.E. lyft- "weak, foolish" (cf. lyft-adl "lameness, paralysis," E.Fris. luf, Du. dial. loof "weak, worthless"). It emerged 13c. as "opposite of right," a derived sense also found in M.Du., Low Ger. luchter, luft. Ger. link, Du. linker "left" are from O.H.G. slinc, M.Du.
slink "left," related to O.E. slincan "crawl," Sw. linka "limp," slinka "dangle." Replaced O.E. winestra, lit. "friendlier," a euphemism used superstitiously to avoid invoking the unlucky forces connected with the left side (see sinister). The Kentish word itself may have been originally a taboo replacement, if instead it represents PIE root *laiwo-, meaning "considered conspicuous" (represented in Gk. laios, Latvian laevus, and Rus. levyi). Gk. also uses a euphemism for "left," aristeros "the better one" (cf. also Avestan vairyastara- "to the left," from vairya- "desirable"). But Lith. kairys "left" and Lettish kreilis "left hand" derive from a root that yields words for "twisted, crooked." Political sense arose from members of a legislative body assigned to the left side of a chamber, first attested in Eng. 1837 (by Carlyle, in ref. to the Fr. Revolution), probably a loan-translation of Fr. la gauche (1791), said to have originated during the seating of the Fr. National Assembly in 1789 in which the nobility took the seats on the President's right and left the Third Estate to sit on the left. Became general in U.S. and British political speech c.1900. Used since at least 1612 in various senses of "irregular, illicit," such as the phrase left-handed compliment (1881). Phrase out in left field "unorthodox, unexpected" is attested from 1959. Lefty "left-handed person" is 1886, Amer.Eng., baseball slang. The Left Bank of Paris has been associated with intellectual and artistic culture since at least 1893.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
left
In addition to the idioms beginning with left, also see hang a left; out in left field; right and left; take up where one left off; two left feet.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Idioms & Phrases
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