ὁ ἀριστερᾷ χειρὶ χρώμενος

λαφθία· ἡ ἀσπίς, ὅπλον, Hsch. [full] λάφνη· δάφνη ([place name] Pergaean), Id. [full] λαφνίσκος, =

A britia (dub. sens.), Gloss. ([etym.] περὶ θρεμμάτων). [full] λαφός· ὁ ἀριστερᾷ χειρὶ χρώμενος, Hsch.

Grammatical information: adj.

Meaning: `left', ἡ λαιά `the left (hand)' (Tyrt., A.);

Derivatives: Diminut. (context unknown) λαίδιον ἀριστερόν, εὑώνυμον H.

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [652] *leh₂iu̯o- `left'

Etymology: Old word for `left', identical with Lat. laevus, Slav., e. g. OCS lěvъ, Russ. lévyj ; IE. *lai̯u̯os = *leh₂i-uo-?; on the phonetics Schwyzer 266 a. 314, on the u̯o-suffix ibd. 472 and Chantraine Form. 122f. Substantivized is λαίβα (= λαίϜα) ἀσπίς, πέλτη H.; prop. "what is worn in the left"(?). Here also Illyr. PN Laevicus, Levo (Krahe Spr. d. Illyr. 1, 55). - Hypothesis on a basic meaning `crooked' and further suggestions for connections, all quite hypothetic or arbitrary, in WP. 2, 378 f., W.-Hofmann s. laevus; also Huisman KZ 71, 104 (to λαιμός, λαῖτμα; IE. * lei- `towards below, askew', but this is phonetically impossible). On spread and use of λαιός, σκαιός, ἀριστερός Chantraine Μνήμης χάριν 1, 61 ff. - Fur. 339 compares λαφός ὁ ἀριστερᾳ̃ χειρὶ χρώμενος Η.; but Lat. laevus can hardly be separated from the word.

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