The '''Left Bank''' defies precise definition but generally refers to those ''arrondissements'' (districts) on the southern bank of the river as it flows though central Paris:
Extending beyond being a simple geographical region, the Left Bank has become a byword for a particular style of life, fashion, or "look", with connotations of high style, the ''avant-garde'' and intellectualism.
The Left Bank is mirrored by the term Right Bank, referring to ''arrondissements'' north of the river within central Paris, the general meaning of which contrasts strongly with that of the Left Bank.