levorotatory

[ lee-vuh-roh-tuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

adjectiveOptics, Chemistry, Biochemistry.
  1. turning to the left, as the rotation to the left of the plane of polarization of light in certain crystals and compounds. Symbol:l-

Origin of levorotatory

1
First recorded in 1870–75; levo- + rotatory
  • Also le·vo·ro·ta·ry [lee-vuh-roh-tuh-ree]. /ˌli vəˈroʊ tə ri/.

Words Nearby levorotatory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use levorotatory in a sentence

  • Heinemann shows116 that lactic acid exists in two optical modifications, the levorotatory and dextrorotary acids.

    The Book of Cheese | Charles Thom and Walter Warner Fisk
  • The gums are translucent, amorphous substances, whose solutions in water are levorotatory.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

Scientific definitions for levorotatory

levorotatory

[ lē′və-rōtə-tôr′ē ]


  1. Relating to a substance that causes levorotation.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.