- sinistral
- sinistral late 15c., “unlucky,” from O.Fr. sinistral or M.L. *sinistralis, from sinister (see SINISTER (Cf. sinister)). Meaning “on the left side” is from 1803. Related: Sinistrally.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
sinistral
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Sinistral — Sin is*tral, a. 1. Of or pertaining to the left, inclining to the left; sinistrous; opposed to {dextral}. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) Having the whorls of the spire revolving or rising to the left; reversed; said of certain spiral shells. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sinistral — [sin′is trəl] adj. [OFr < L sinistra, left hand: see SINISTER] 1. on the left hand side; left 2. left handed 3. having whorls that rise to the apex in clockwise spirals from the opening at the lower left: said of the shells of some gastropods … English World dictionary
sinistral — counterclockwise coun ter*clock wise adj. & adv. in the opposite direction to that in which the hands of a clock rotate, as viewed from in front of the clock face; of rotatory motion or spiral direction. Opposite of {clockwise}, or {right handed} … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sinistral — 1. Relating to the left side. SYN: sinistrous. 2. Denoting a left handed person. * * * si·nis·tral sin əs trəl, sə nis adj of, relating to, or inclined to the left esp LEFT HANDED sinistral n a person exhibiting dominance of the l … Medical dictionary
Sinistral and dextral — Not to be confused with Dexter and sinister. Sinistral and dextral are scientific terms that describe chirality (“handedness”) or relative direction in a number of disciplines. The terms are derived from the Latin words for “left” (sinister) and… … Wikipedia
sinistral — adjective Date: 1803 of, relating to, or inclined to the left: as a. left handed b. of a gastropod shell having the whorls coiling counterclockwise down the spire when viewed with the apex toward the observer and having the aperture situated on… … New Collegiate Dictionary
sinistral — left; referring to flatfishes having the left hand side uppermost … Dictionary of ichthyology
sinistral — adj. [L. sinistra, left] Pertaining to the left; to the left of the median line … Dictionary of invertebrate zoology
sinistral — sinistrally, adv. /sin euh streuhl/, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, or on the left side; left (opposed to dextral). 2. left handed. 3. (of certain gastropod shells) coiling counterclockwise, as seen from the apex. [1425 75; late ME < ML sinistralis.… … Universalium
sinistral — adjective a) Of, facing, on on the left side. b) Left handed. Syn: sinistrous Ant: dextral See Also: sinister … Wiktionary
