sinistrorse

American

[sin-uh-strawrs, si-nis-trawrs, sin-uh-strawrs] / ˈsɪn əˌstrɔrs, sɪˈnɪs trɔrs, ˌsɪn əˈstrɔrs /

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).

sinistrorse British

/ ˌsɪnɪˈstrɔːs, ˈsɪnɪˌstrɔːs /

adjective

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of sinistrorse

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023