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 (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

sinistrorsal adjective
sinistrorsely adverb

Etymology

Origin of sinistrorse

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sinistrorse, turned to the left.

From Project Gutenberg

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