dextrous
pronunciation
How to pronounce dextrous in British English:
UK ['dekstrəs]
How to pronounce dextrous in American English:
US [ˈdɛkstrəs]
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- Adjective:
- skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
Word Origin
- dextrous
- dextrous: [17] Just as the left hand has always been associated with awkwardness or maladroitness (cack-handed), so the right hand has traditionally been credited with skill: hence dextrous, a derivative of Latin dexter, which meant ‘on the right side’ and thus by extension ‘skilful’. This came ultimately, like Greek dexiós, Gothic taihswa, Breton dehou, Russian desnoj, and many other related forms in the general semantic area ‘right-hand side’, from an Indo-European base *dek-. English acquired the Latin adjective itself as a heraldic term in the 16th century.
- dextrous (adj.)
- 1620s, alternative spelling of dexterous; this version is more conformable to Latin but less common in English.
Example
- 1. Furthermore , mr obama 's dextrous attempts to avoid provoking the chinese were heavily censored .
- 2. Added to the spell book -- growing old ( passive ) -- you are dextrous enough to fire your bow , but bad at dodging .
- 3. The past few weeks , in particular , have seen a sequence of events that could yet prove to be the tipping point that turned dextrous but limited industrial robots into handy helpmates around the home .