Esquerdo

Esquerdo is a Portuguese adjective and noun with several related senses. Primarily, it denotes something located on or directed toward the left side, opposite of direito. This use covers everyday language and formal contexts alike, such as describing anatomical features (“ombro esquerdo”, “orelha esquerda”), body orientation, or spatial arrangement (the “lado esquerdo” of a street or map). In geometry, design, and navigation, “esquerdo” marks left-hand orientation.

In political discourse, esquirdo relates to the left-wing. The broader category is “a esquerda,” encompassing ideologies, parties, and movements that advocate social equality, greater state involvement in the economy, and progressive reforms. While people may refer to a person as belonging to the left by saying they are “de esquerda” or “esquerdista,” the attribute “esquerdo” is less common as a stand-alone noun for an individual in contemporary usage; more typical expressions are “da esquerda” or simply “esquerda.”

Usage notes: Portuguese typically contrasts “esquerdo” with “direito” for sides or orientations. For handedness, the standard term is canhoto (masculine) or canhota (feminine); “esquerdo” is not the usual label for a left-handed person.

Etymology: the word derives from the notion of the left side, historically distinguished from the right; it has long appeared in Portuguese to describe lateral and ideological concepts.

See also: direito, esquerda, canhoto, esquerdista.