For example, in English the word right (opposite of left) and right (privileges, as in human rights) are homonyms. In Spanish, derecho/a also means both of those things. Don’t the concepts behind those words predate the cross-pollination of the two languages? Why do they share this homonym quality?

  • FuglyDuck
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    English
    221 year ago

    Wait ‘till OP finds out that Sinister was originally the word for “left”

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      191 year ago

      Meanwhile, the French word for left is “gauche”.

      Which leads to a famous quip from a Canadian conservative politician some decades ago: “the Canadian left is more gauche than sinister”

    • @Calanthesrose
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      51 year ago

      You just blew my mind. Thank you for that. Also indirectly introduced me to a way to learn a new word a day.