Though it’s perhaps the most well-known word in the nautical lexicon, many don’t know where the word “starboard” came from. What’s the etymological origin?
A) Navigators stood on the right side of the boat when taking sights of the stars, so the right side became known as the “star board” side of the boat.
B) Early punts (a flat-bottomed boat that is pushed by pole, like a Venetian gondola) had passengers board from the right side.
C) It derived from the term “larboard,” the middle English word for the side on which cargo was loaded.
D) Before rudders, boats were steered by oars, and the helmsperson sat on the right side of the boat, resulting in the term “steer-board,” which eventually became “starboard.”
