lars
n. uncountablen. the left side of a ship or boat. It is an old word that sailors used in the past.
n. the left-hand side of a vessel when facing forward. Archaic in modern maritime usage, having been replaced by 'port' to avoid phonetic confusion with 'starboard'.
The sailors moved the cargo to the lars side.
In historical naval accounts, the term lars was occasionally used before 'port' became the standard command for the left side.
The transition from lars to port in the mid-19th century was a deliberate safety measure intended to prevent helmsmen from mishearing orders during heavy storms.
Borrowed from North Germanic, from Latin Laurentius.
Formed within English as a plural form of lar, q.v.
Primarily found in historical or literary maritime contexts; functions as a synonym for 'larboard'.