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sinistro

left

adjective see-NEE-stroh Rare

Origin: From Latin sinister (left, unfavourable), which also gave English 'sinister'.

Also means

sinister

Usage Note

Sinistro primarily means 'left' as a direction (the opposite of destro), and as a noun il sinistro can mean 'an accident' or 'incident' in formal contexts. The feminine form is sinistra, which as a noun means 'the left hand' or 'the political left' (la sinistra). Its Latin root already carried a bad-omen meaning, which English borrowed directly.

Examples

"Si è fatto male al piede sinistro."

Natural Translation

He hurt his left foot.

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