sinister

sinister
sinister [sin′is tər]
adj.
[ME sinistre < L sinister, left-hand, or unlucky (side), orig. lucky (side) < IE base * sene-, to prepare, achieve > Sans sánīyān, more favorable: early Roman augurs faced south, with the east (lucky side) to the left, but the Greeks (followed by later Romans) faced north]
1.
a) Archaic on, to, or toward the left-hand side; left
b) Heraldry on the left side of a shield (the right as seen by the viewer): opposed to DEXTER
2. threatening harm, evil, or misfortune; ominous; portentous [sinister storm clouds]
3. wicked, evil, or dishonest, esp. in some dark, mysterious way [a sinister plot]
4. most unfavorable or unfortunate; disastrous [met a sinister fate]
sinisterly
adv.
sinisterness
n.
SYN.- SINISTER, in this connection, applies to that which can be interpreted as presaging imminent danger or evil [a sinister smile ]; BALEFUL refers to that which is inevitably deadly, destructive, pernicious, etc. [a baleful influence ]; MALIGN is applied to that which is regarded as having an inherent tendency toward evil or destruction [a malign doctrine ]

English World dictionary. . 2014.

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  • Sinister — is originally a Latin term for left or to the left (and by extension, left handedness), and is used in heraldry to refer to the left of the bearer of the arms, and to the right by the viewer s eyes. It is often used to mean evil.Sinister may also …   Wikipedia

  • sinister — sinister,[/p] baleful, malign, malefic, maleficent all mean seriously threatening, portending, or promising evil or disaster, usually imminent or already initiated evil or disaster. Sinister is the most commonly employed of these words and the… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Sinister — Sin is*ter (s[i^]n [i^]s*t[ e]r; 277), a. Note: [Accented on the middle syllable by the older poets, as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden.] [L. sinister: cf. F. sinistre.] 1. On the left hand, or the side of the left hand; left; opposed to {dexter}, or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sinister — Жанр дэт метал Страна …   Википедия

  • sinister — early 15c., prompted by malice or ill will, from O.Fr. sinistre contrary, unfavorable, to the left, from L. sinister left, on the left side (opposite of dexter), perhaps from root *sen and meaning properly the slower or weaker hand [Tucker], but… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Sinister — Allgemeine Informatione …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sinister — (lat.), 1) link; Sinistrae tibiae, s.u. Flöte; 2) linkisch, verkehrt; 3) ungünstig, unglücklich; dagegen in den Auspicien der Römer glücklich, von guter Vorbedeutung …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Sinister — (lat.), link, linkisch; bei Vorzeichen in der Religionssprache der Römer ursprünglich glückverheißend, später nach griechischer Theorie unheilverkündend …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • sinister — I adjective alarming, baleful, baneful, blameworthy, censurable, cold blooded, comminatory, conscienceless, contemptible, corrupt, creepy, cruel, culpable, dangerous, demoniac, demoniacal, deserving of condemnation, designing, despiteful,… …   Law dictionary

  • sinister — [adj] nasty, menacing adverse, apocalyptic, bad, baleful, baneful, blackhearted, corrupt, deleterious, dire, disastrous, dishonest, disquieting, doomful, evil, foreboding, harmful, hurtful, ill boding, inauspicious, injurious, lowering, malefic,… …   New thesaurus

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