Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of or facing the left side.
- adjective Left-handed.
- adjective Zoology Relating to or being a gastropod shell that has its aperture to the left when facing the observer with the apex upward.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of or pertaining to the left side; situated on the left hand; not dextral; sinister; sinistrous.
- In conchology, reversed from the usual, right, or dextral curve, as the whorls of a spiral shell; whorled toward the left; sinistrorse; heterostrophous.
- In ichthyology, having both eyes on the left side of the head, as certain flatfishes.
- Sinister; wrong.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the left, inclining to the left; sinistrous; -- opposed to
dextral . - adjective (Zoöl.) Having the whorls of the spire revolving or rising to the left; reversed; -- said of certain spiral shells.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Of, facing, or on the
left side. - adjective
Left-handed . - adjective zoology Having the whorls of the spire revolving or rising to the left; reversed; -- said of certain spiral shells.
- adjective geology
left lateral fault movement.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective preferring to use left foot or hand or eye
- adjective of or on the left
Etymologies
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Examples
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Even as a sinistral I found this quite a struggle.
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As its name implies and the above picture shows, B. sinistrum is a left-handed or sinistral species.
Archive 2009-03-01 AYDIN 2009
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The Halloween zombie snail with its sinistral shell is indeed amusing.
One problem with Google Maps AYDIN 2009
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So Dave your task as a fellow sinistral shooter is to check out the new Ruger lefty line up at the Shot Show next week and report back on anythng sexy you find (including booth babes).
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And so it was that he left hearth and sinistral home; lord idiot father and princess thief mother, with no word, and so also Pandia, daughter of Hippodamia, that white-fire striking heated beauty, sat all unknowing like a dwarf in the sand, or a hippo/horse with five hearts and a dung heap for a pillow, of her lover's fate.
The Sea at Sea (or Why is There a Question Instead of Not a Question) 2010
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Being one who is sinistral in the manipulation of firearms and other worldly devices, I have depended on Savage rifles for quite some time.
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As its name implies and the above picture shows, B. sinistrum is a left-handed or sinistral species.
Busycon sinistrum AYDIN 2009
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Therefore, an aberrant individual with a tall sinistral shell among tall-shelled dextral conspecifics is more likely to be able to mate and leave offspring than one with a wide sinistral shell among wide-shelled dextral conspecifics.
How snails mate: Oxyloma retusa AYDIN 2008
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The evolutionary result of this is that sinistral species or closely related species with oppositely coiled shells are more common among tall-shelled lineages than among wide-shelled ones.
How snails mate: Oxyloma retusa AYDIN 2008
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A sinistral snail, on the other hand, would have its genital opening on the left side of its head.
How snails mate: Oxyloma retusa AYDIN 2008
qms commented on the word sinistral
The ham-fisted man of the right
Now cares for the poor widow's plight.
It's clear as through crystal
That this turn sinistral
Is taken when the election is tight.
August 13, 2014