dextrality

[ dek-stral-i-tee ]

noun

1. the state or quality of having the right side or its parts or members different from and, usually, more efficient than the left side or its parts or members; right-handedness.
2. preference for using the right hand or side. Compare sinistrality.
3. Zoology. the state of being dextral.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dextrality¹

First recorded in 1640–50; dextral + -ity

Example Sentences

Hitherto the actual conditions of the rise of "dextrality" in young children—as the general fact of uneven-handedness may be called—have not been closely observed.

From Project Gutenberg

Antonym: unrighteousness. right-handed, a. dexterous. right-handedness, n. dexterity, dextrality. rigid, a. inflexible, stiff, unyielding, unpliant; rigorous, severe, austere, strict. rigidity, n. stiffness, inflexibility, severity, rigor. rigmarole, n.

From Project Gutenberg

Dextrality -- N. dextrality†; right, right hand; dexter, offside, starboard.

From Project Gutenberg

In fact, as naturalists have ventured to observe, "dextrality" is a well–known law of nature.

From Project Gutenberg

This seems to show that "dextrality" is not derived from the experience of the individual in using either hand predominantly for reaching, grasping, holding, etc., within the easiest range of that hand.

From Project Gutenberg