Word of the day: ADROIT (uh-DROYT) – Skillful, clever, dexterous; specifically, showing skill in using one’s hands or in using one’s brains. Synonyms of adroit include deft, resourceful, ingenious, artful, and adept (word 7 of Level 1). Antonyms of adroit include awkward, clumsy, inept, and maladroit (MAL-uh-DROYT). Adroit comes from Latin through the French droit, right, and means literally “to the right.” Historically, the English language has always favored the right hand as the better, more skillful hand. Yes, I know that’s unfair to southpaws, but my job is not to “say it ain’t so” but to “call’em like I see ’em.” The fact is, a bias for right-handed words is ingrained in the language, which is one reason we don’t say “out in right field” to mean crazy, weird, unorthodox. Let’s take a brief look at some of these “handy” English words. The Latin dexter means on the right side, skillful. From dexter we inherit the word dexterous, skilled with the hands or body. Now, here’s where things get sinister for lefties. The Latin sinister means left, on the left side, and also wrong, evil, unfavorable, adverse, the meaning of the English word sinister today. People who are ambidextrous are equally skillful or dexterous with both hands. Can you guess what the opposite of ambidextrous is? The unusual word ambisinister means literally having two left hands, equally awkward with both hands. Latin is not the only language that favors righties and disdains lefties. The French gauche (GOHSH) means left, but also crooked, awkward, clumsy. Gauche entered English in the eighteenth century, and since then it has been used to refer to a person who is awkward, crude, or blundering, or to behavior that lacks culture or social grace. On the other hand (so to speak), from French we have also assimilated the word adroit, done with the right hand, and therefore skillful, clever, dexterous. Adroit may refer to physical dexterity, but it is also often used of mental ingenuity; for example, you can make an adroit maneuver in a wrestling match or in a game of chess. Adroit also often implies exhibiting either physical or mental dexterity to elude danger or extricate oneself from a difficult situation. - Elster, Charles Harrington (2009-02-04). Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 12:01:50 +0000
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