Why are the left and right sides of a ship called port and starboard?
Ancient ships had their rudders, or steering boards, on the right side of the stern of the ship. This gave rise to the Anglo-Saxon word steorbord, which means, “steer side.” When ships came into port to load and unload, they were tied up with their left sides closest to the dock to prevent damage to the rudder. Thus, the left side became known as the port side. Port used to be called larboard, from the Middle English ladeborde, which referred to the loading side of a ship. (Excerpt from the Grolier’s New Book of Knowledge, copyright 1968!
