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sinistrorse

[ sin-uh-strawrs, si-nis-trawrs, sin-uh-strawrs ]
/ ˈsɪn əˌstrɔrs, sɪˈnɪs trɔrs, ˌsɪn əˈstrɔrs /
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adjective Botany.
(from a point of view at the center of the spiral) rising spirally in a counterclockwise manner, as a stem (opposed to dextrorse).
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Origin of sinistrorse

1855–60; <Latin sinistrōrsus literally, turned leftwards, contraction of *sinistriversus.See sinister, versus

OTHER WORDS FROM sinistrorse

sin·is·trorse·ly [sin-uh-strawrs-lee, sin-uh-strawrs-], /ˈsɪn əˌstrɔrs li, ˌsɪn əˈstrɔrs-/, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sinistrorse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sinistrorse

sinistrorse
/ (ˈsɪnɪˌstrɔːs, ˌsɪnɪˈstrɔːs) /

adjective
(of some climbing plants) growing upwards in a spiral from right to left, or clockwiseCompare dextrorse

Derived forms of sinistrorse

sinistrorsal, adjectivesinistrorsely, adverb

Word Origin for sinistrorse

C19: from Latin sinistrōrsus turned towards the left, from sinister on the left + vertere to turn
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
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