Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by denton-scratch on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @08:01AM (#35627077)

> the noun "mjol" (flour) means "having been ground up"

Ah - "mjol" as flour must be cognate with "meal". I hadn't previously associated meal with mills, but it makes sense.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by hnbad on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @09:10AM (#35627701)

As another data point: meal/flour is "Mehl" in German. Mehl/meal is milled in a Mühle/mill.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by Ichthypresbyter on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @10:54PM (#35635822)

Flour was originally only the highest quality grade- the "flower"- of ground grain.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by vidarh on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @10:01AM (#35628244)

Meal appears to be a cognate of Old Norse "mál" ("mål", "måltid" - meal, meal time - in modern Norwegian) rather than mjol. Compare also Mehl (flour) vs Mahl (meal) in German.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by yobbo on Friday April 21, 2023 @11:44AM (#35655497)

Both meanings exist in English - "stonemeal" or "oatmeal" for example.

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