sinistral

[sin-uh-struhl]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or on the left side; left (dextral ).

2. left-handed.

3. (of certain gastropod shells) coiling counterclockwise, as seen from the apex.

sinistral

/ ˈsɪnɪstrəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or located on the left side, esp the left side of the body

2. a technical term for left-handed

3. (of the shells of certain gastropod molluscs) coiling in a clockwise direction from the apex

Other Word Forms

• sinistrally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sinistral¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word sinistrālis. See sinister, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sinistral¹

C15 (in the obsolete sense: adverse, evil); C19 (in current senses): from Medieval Latin sinistrālis. See _sinister

Example Sentences

At the beginning of the last decade it was not uncommon for Harte to be praised as a sinistral David Beckham.

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The same, mutatis mutandis, may occur in sinistral shells.

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Shell helicoidally coiled, dextral or sinistral, the last whorl generally uncoiled.

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This is carried outward in a sinistral spiral to the noded shoulder.

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There are, for instance, nearly half a score of subgenera of Helix whose headquarters are Chinese, while among these, forms with sinistral shells are relatively common.

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