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Why is the right side of a ship called starboard?

In the time of the Vikings (eighth to eleventh centuries A.D.), ships were steered by long paddles or boards placed over the right side. They were known in Old English as "steorbords," which evolved into the word "starboard." The left side of a ship, looking forward, is called "port." Formerly the left side was called "larboard," perhaps because early merchant ships were always loaded from the left side. The word "larboard" is Scandinavian in origin, coming from "lade" (load) and "bord" (side). The British Admiralty (department of naval affairs) ordered "port" to be used in place of "larboard" to prevent confusion with "starboard."

Sources: Funk, Charles E. Horse Feathers and Other Curious Words, p. 13; McEwan, W.A., and A. H. Lewis. Encyclopedia of Nautical Knowledge, p. 278.

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