SINISTERLY

Etymology

Adverb

sinisterly (comparative more sinisterly, superlative most sinisterly)

In a sinister manner.

Anagrams

• sinistrely

Source: Wiktionary


Sin"is*ter*ly, adv.

Definition: In a sinister manner. Wood.

SINISTER

Sin"is*ter, a. Etym: [Accented on the middle syllable by the older poets, as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden.] Etym: [L. sinister: cf. F. sinistre.]

1. On the left hand, or the side of the left hand; left; -- opposed to dexter, or right. "Here on his sinister cheek." Shak. My mother's blood Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister Bounds in my father's Shak.

Note: In heraldy the sinister side of an escutcheon is the side which would be on the left of the bearer of the shield, and opposite the right hand of the beholder.

2. Unlucky; inauspicious; disastrous; injurious; evil; -- the left being usually regarded as the unlucky side; as, sinister influences. All the several ills that visit earth, Brought forth by night, with a sinister birth. B. Jonson.

3. Wrong, as springing from indirection or obliquity; perverse; dishonest; corrupt; as, sinister aims. Nimble and sinister tricks and shifts. Bacon. He scorns to undermine another's interest by any sinister or inferior arts. South. He read in their looks . . . sinister intentions directed particularly toward himself. Sir W. Scott.

4. Indicative of lurking evil or harm; boding covert danger; as, a sinister countenance. Bar sinister. (Her.) See under Bar, n.

– Sinister aspect (Astrol.), an appearance of two planets happening according to the succession of the signs, as Saturn in Aries, and Mars in the same degree of Gemini.

– Sinister base, Sinister chief. See under Escutcheon.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

21 January 2025

TRACE

(verb) follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; “We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba”; “trace the student’s progress”; “trace one’s ancestry”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

International Coffee Day (September 29) is an occasion to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage, with events occurring in places across the world. A day to promote fair trade coffee and raise awareness for the coffee growers’ plight. Other countries celebrate this event on October 1.

coffee icon