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sinistrorse

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

adjective

Botany.

  1. (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

  1. (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

  • sinistrorsal adjective
  • sinistrorsely adverb

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.