handedness

American  

[han-did-nis] / ˈhæn dɪd nɪs /

noun

1. a tendency to use one hand more than the other.

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handedness British  

/ ˈhændɪdnɪs /

noun

1. the tendency to use one hand more skilfully or in preference to the other

2. the property of some chemical substances of rotating the plane of polarized light in one direction rather than another See also dextrorotation laevorotation

3. the relation between the vectors of spin and momentum of neutrinos and certain other elementary particles See also helicity

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handedness Scientific  

/ hăn′dĭd-nĭs /

1. A preference for using one hand rather than the other to perform most manual tasks and activities. Most people are right-handed. Historically, it has been theorized that handedness is associated with a dominance of the opposite cerebral hemisphere of the brain, but this has not been conclusively proven. Although the scientific basis for handedness is unknown, the fact that left-handed parents more frequently have left-handed offspring suggests at least a partial genetic component. Some experts believe that children are trained to favor one hand over the other (usually the right hand.). Handedness is usually established in the first few years of life.

2. See chirality

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Etymology

Origin of handedness

First recorded in 1920–25; handed + -ness

Example Sentences

Electric current flowed more easily in one direction, and the effect could be reversed by changing the magnetization or switching the handedness of the helix.

From Science Daily • Jan. 25, 2026

One of them had to be circularly polarized in one direction, and the other needed to be the second harmonic of the first beam, polarized with the opposite handedness.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

Depending on the handedness of the bound molecule, electrons with one direction of spin preferentially flow -- or "tunnel" -- through the molecule, meaning that electrons with the "wrong" spin are filtered out.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2024

“Everyday second baseman” means, after all, playing second base every day regardless of the opposing pitcher’s handedness.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023

No, it was meant to determine if you were right brained or left brained, usually connoted by handedness.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin