English Explanatory Dictionary

dexterous

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Skillful with one's hands.
  2. Skillful in some specific thing.
  3. Agile; flexible; able to move fluidly and gracefully.
  4. Skilled at argumentation; mentally skillful; quick-witted.

Pronunciation

/ˈdɛkstɹəs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-dexterous.wav En-us-dextrous.ogg

Word forms

dexterous more dexterous most dexterous dextrous

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *déḱs Proto-Indo-European *deḱs-terósder. Proto-Italic *deksteros Latin dexter Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-der. Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English dexterous From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ.

Related words

ambidextrous dexter dexterity adroit active expert skillful clever able ready apt handy versed

Derived words

dexterously dexterousness nondexterous undexterous
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