How Did We Get "Port" & "Starboard" in maritime circle?

Many nautical terms have historical significance that's developed over centuries. For instance, "starboard" (the right side of the boat when you're facing the bow) is derived from the term "steerboard." This reference goes back to very early ships that were steered by a steering oar on the right-hand side of the ship — in the days before ships had rudders on their centerlines. When these ships came into a port, they needed to dock keeping the steering oar safe on the outside, away from the dock. So the "port" side referred to the left-hand side of the ship when facing forward, the side tied to the dock once the ship pulled into the dock. However, another term that you may have heard is "larboard," which was in common use until the middle of the 19th century; like port, it, too, referred to the left side of the ship as determined by the point of view of someone facing the bow.