dextral
adjective
dex·tral
ˈdek-strəl 
: of or relating to the right : inclined to the right: such as
b
of a gastropod shell
: having the whorls coiling clockwise down the spire when viewed with the apex toward the observer and having the aperture situated on the right of the axis when held with the spire uppermost and with the aperture opening toward the observer compare sinistral
Examples of dextral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The majority of snails are dextral, but sinistral forms have evolved time and time again.
—
Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2010
Dextral snails are in the majority, so a dextral snail would have a far larger supply of mates than a sinistral one.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2010
There was one exception — when coauthor and citizen scientist Philippe Thomas mated second-generation dextral offspring of French sinistral garden snails.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 2 June 2020
Six of 32 dextral snails produced 17 sinistral offspring out of 6,302 total offspring.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 2 June 2020
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Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2010
Dextral snails are in the majority, so a dextral snail would have a far larger supply of mates than a sinistral one.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2010
There was one exception — when coauthor and citizen scientist Philippe Thomas mated second-generation dextral offspring of French sinistral garden snails.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 2 June 2020
Six of 32 dextral snails produced 17 sinistral offspring out of 6,302 total offspring.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 2 June 2020
Dictionary Entries Near dextral
Cite this Entry
“Dextral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dextral. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dextral
1 of 2 adjective
dex·tral
ˈdek-strəl
: of or relating to the right
especially
: right-handed
dextral
2 of 2 noun
: a person exhibiting dominance of the right hand and eye
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