dexter
[dek-ster]
- on the right side; right.
- noting the side of a heraldic shield that is to the right of one who bears it (opposed to sinister).
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Origin of dexter
1555–65; < Latin: right, favorable; akin to Gothic taihswa, Old Irish dess, Greek dexiós, Lithuanian dẽšinas, Sanskrit dakṣina
Dexter
[dek-ster]
- Also Dex·ter-Ker·ry [dek-ster-ker-ee] /ˈdɛk stərˈkɛr i/. one of a breed of small, hardy, usually black dual-purpose cattle, derived from the Kerry breed of Ireland.
- a male given name.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
auspiciousadvantageousopportunebenevolentfavorableencouragingbeneficialbenignbravebrightfortunatehappyhopefulluckypatpromisingprosperousrosyseasonabletimelyExamples from the Web for dexter
Contemporary Examples
Did playing such a demented character like Dexter for so long mess with your head?
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’Marlow Stern
December 4, 2014
It was the first step in my Dexter detox—to play a guy who killed someone without meaning to do it.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’Marlow Stern
December 4, 2014
Well, the only way Dexter could have been tied up in a bow was if the last episode would have been the last episode of Season 4.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’Marlow Stern
December 4, 2014
People who have only seen you in Six Feet Under and Dexter are going to be very surprised to see you as Hedwig.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’Marlow Stern
December 4, 2014
By Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker The White House wants the Kurds to help save Iraq from ISIS.
Historical Examples
This, but for his choice and hers, might have served as an emblem of Dexter.
Dexter married Jessie the day before he opened his flag-shop.
And was not Dexter himself, in the new neighborhood as in the old?
Like responsible sentinels, Dexter and Jessie stood at their post.
Courtney—When you proposed to Miss Dexter did you get down on your knees?
The New Pun BookThomas A. Brown and Thomas Joseph Carey
dexter1
- archaic of or located on the right side
- (usually postpositive) heraldry of, on, or starting from the right side of a shield from the bearer's point of view and therefore on the spectator's left
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Compare sinister
Word Origin
C16: from Latin; compare Greek dexios on the right hand
dexter2
- a small breed of red or black beef cattle, originally from Ireland
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Word Origin
C19: perhaps from the surname of the original breeder
Dexter
- John. 1925–90, British actor and theatre director
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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
Word Origin and History for dexter
Dexter
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dexter
(dĕk′stər)- Of or located on the right side.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.