chirality
/ (kaɪˈrælɪtɪ) /
Save This Word!
noun
the configuration or handedness (left or right) of an asymmetric, optically active chemical compoundAlso called: dissymmetry
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Derived forms of chirality
chiral, adjectiveWord Origin for chirality
C19: from Greek kheir hand + -al 1 + -ity
Words nearby chirality
chip wagon, Chiquita, chir-, Chirac, chiral, chirality, Chirchik, Chi-Rho, Chiricahua, Chirico, chirimoya
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for chirality
chirality
[ kī-răl′ĭ-tē ]
The characteristic of a structure (usually a molecule) that makes it impossible to superimpose it on its mirror image. Also called handedness See also helicity invariance optical isomer.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.