Port and starboard

Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and spacecraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front).

[2][3] The term starboard derives from the Old English steorbord, meaning the side on which the ship is steered.

[2] The "steer-board" etymology is shared by the German Steuerbord, Dutch stuurboord and Swedish styrbord, which gave rise to the French tribord, Italian tribordo,[a] Catalan estribord, Portuguese estibordo, Spanish estribor and Estonian tüürpoord.

[13] An Anglo-Saxon record of a voyage by Ohthere of Hålogaland used the word "bæcbord" ("back-board") for the left side of a ship.

The words for "port side" in other European languages, such as German Backbord, Dutch and Afrikaans bakboord, Swedish babord, Spanish babor, Portuguese bombordo, Italian babordo,[a] French bâbord and Estonian pakpoord, are derived from the same root.