## Etymology
From Old English 'steorbord', literally 'steer-side', because early ships were steered by a paddle on the right-hand side: 'steor' (steering oar) + 'bord' (side of a ship).

## AI Etymology
Starboard comes from Old English 'steorbord', literally 'steer-side', because early ships were steered by a paddle on the right-hand side: 'steor' (steering oar) + 'bord' (side of a ship). The historical chain includes Old English steorbord and Old English steor. The quoted older senses, "steorbord", "steer-side", "steor", and "bord", supply the semantic anchors for starboard. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word starboard carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a noun, "the right-hand side of a ship or aircraft when facing forward". Related English forms include steer and board. The result is a noun and adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Transportation

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