dexterous

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
17
Words With Friends
18
Letters
9
Pronunciation
/ˈdɛkstɹəs/

Definition of dexterous

4 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. Skillful with one's hands.
    “She is pleasingly dexterous with the chopsticks, and keeps one hand lying palm up on her lap. Pinched with just the right pressure between the sticks; funny how plump women have that delicate touch.”
See all 4 definitions

adj

  1. Skillful with one's hands.
    “She is pleasingly dexterous with the chopsticks, and keeps one hand lying palm up on her lap. Pinched with just the right pressure between the sticks; funny how plump women have that delicate touch.”
  2. Skillful in some specific thing.
    “We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me.”
  3. Agile; flexible; able to move fluidly and gracefully.
  4. (archaic, figuratively)Skilled at argumentation; mentally skillful; quick-witted.
    “1775, speech by Edmund Burke […] the study [of law] renders men acute, inquisitive, dexterous, prompt in attack, ready in defense […]”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *déḱs Proto-Indo-European *deḱs-terósder. Proto-Italic *deksteros Latin dexter Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-der. Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English dexterous From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ.

Anagrams of dexterous

1 play · some not in Scrabble

Words you can make from dexterous

200+ playable · top: DEXTROSE (16 pts)

Best play dextrose 16 points

8-letter words

3 words

7-letter words

11 words

6-letter words

44 words

5-letter words

83 words

4-letter words

58 words

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