dexter

¹ American  

[dek-ster] / ˈdɛk stər /

adjective

1. on the right side; right.

2. noting the side of a heraldic shield that is to the right of one who bears it (sinister ).

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Dexter ² American  

[dek-ster] / ˈdɛk stər /

noun

1. Also Dexter-Kerry one of a breed of small, hardy, usually black dual-purpose cattle, derived from the Kerry breed of Ireland.

2. a male given name.

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dexter ¹ British  

/ ˈdɛkstə /

adjective

1. archaic of or located on the right side

2. (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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Dexter ² British  

/ ˈdɛkstə /

noun

1. John. 1925–90, British actor and theatre director

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dexter ³ British  

/ ˈdɛkstə /

noun

1. a small breed of red or black beef cattle, originally from Ireland

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Etymology

Origin of dexter

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin: “right-hand,” also “favorable, right, skillful”; akin to Gothic taihswa, Old Irish dess, Greek dexiós, Lithuanian dẽ šinas, Sanskrit dakṣina

Example Sentences

I've never found him quite as devastatingly debonair as Clovis Sangrail, with his mulberry eyes and lowered dexter eyelid.

From The Guardian • Dec. 23, 2010

And OD is short for oculus dexter, or right eye, not for overdose.

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2010

And OD is short for oculus dexter, or right eye, not for overdose.

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2010

Sarai’s were at the extremity of the dexter arm—which was a way of saying right, as sinister was a way of saying left—down the long, curved corridor from the gallery.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

It was a long, vaulted arcade that overlooked the garden from the dexter arm of the citadel, and was where dinner would soon be laid out for the five of them.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• benevolent
• encouraging
• favorable