dexterous

****************************************************************
Gearing up for back-to-school? Be sure to check out our line 
of updated age-specific school references!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?scholref.htm
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for September 4 is:

dexterous   \DEK-strus\   adjective
     1 : mentally adroit and skillful : clever
     2 : done with dexterity : artful
    *3 : skillful and competent with the hands

Example sentence: 
     As a shortstop, Alex is a dexterous fielder, adept at catching any ground 
ball or line drive hit at him.

Did you know? 
     "Dexterous" comes from the Latin word "dexter," meaning "on the right 
side." Since most people are right-handed, and therefore do things more easily 
with their right hand, "dexter" developed the sense of "skillful." English 
speakers crafted "dexterous" from "dexter" and have been using the resulting 
adjective for anyone who is skillful -- in either a physical or mental capacity 
-- since at least the early 1600s. The adjective "ambidextrous," which combines 
"dexter" with the Latin prefix "ambi-," meaning "both," describes one who is 
able to use both hands in an equally skillful way.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.




You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2006 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102