Of course, but this article explains what each word means.
Starboard => Means "steering side of the boat" (b/c the oar was on the right side due to sailors mostly being right handed)
Port => The side that faces the port when docked
Starboard => Means "steering side of the boat" (b/c the oar was on the right side due to sailors mostly being right handed)
Port => The side that faces the port when docked
“Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are mirror images of each other. One asymmetric feature is where access to a boat, ship, or aircraft is at the side, it is usually only on the port side (hence the name)”
In German starboard is steuerbord, steuern = to steer. No shifting over the centuries.
However, port is still backbord. I am not familiar with Northern dialects (where they have a coast), back does not tell me anything. Maybe packen = to pack/load)??? Interestingly enough the English argument that the 2 words should not be too similar has not been applied. Maybe because there are already 3 vs. 2 syllables? Whereas English had 2 and 2 so they changed to 2 vs. 1 to make it make obvious what was said even in a big storm?