left-handed: Meaning and Definition of

left-hand•ed

Pronunciation: (left'han'did), [key]
— adj.
  1. having the left hand more dominant or effective than the right; preferably using the left hand: a left-handed pitcher.
  2. adapted to or performed by the left hand: a left-handed tool; a left-handed tennis serve.
  3. situated on the side of the left hand.
    1. rotating counterclockwise.
    2. noting a helical or spiral member, as a gear tooth or screw thread, that twists counterclockwise as it recedes from an observer.
  4. left-hand (def. 3).
  5. ambiguous or doubtful and often unfavorable or derogatory by implication: a left-handed compliment.
  6. clumsy or awkward.
  7. of, pertaining to, or issuing from a morganatic marriage: so called from the custom, in morganatic marriage ceremonies, of having the bridegroom give his left hand to the bride.
—adv.
  1. with the left hand: He writes left-handed.
  2. toward the left hand; in a counterclockwise direction: The strands of the rope are laid left-handed.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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