siniestro

Old Spanish

Etymology

From Latin sinistrum, singular accusative of sinister (“left, left-hand”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /siˈnjestɾo/

Adjective

siniestro (feminine singular siniestra, masculine plural siniestros, feminine plural siniestras)

1. left, left-hand (direction)
   • c. 1250, Alfonso X, Lapidario, f. 97v.

     […] Et q́ deſcéda ſobreſta piedra la uertud de oḿe q́ téga en la mano dieſtra lança ¬ en la ſinieſtra un af traſtornada.

     […] And may over this stone descend the virtue of the man with a spear in his right hand and an upturned bird on his left.

Antonyms

• diestro

Descendants

• Spanish: siniestro, siniestra

Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish siniestro, from Latin sinister, sinistrum, through a Vulgar Latin root *sinexter, sinextrum, from contamination with dexter (“right”), whence Spanish diestro. Compare Portuguese sestro, Italian sinistro (archaic or Old Italian sinestro), Old French senestre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siˈnjestɾo/ [siˈnjes.t̪ɾo]
• Rhymes: -estɾo
• Syllabification: si‧nies‧tro

Adjective

siniestro (feminine siniestra, masculine plural siniestros, feminine plural siniestras)

1. sinister
2. unhappy

   Synonyms: infeliz, funesto

3. malicious, evil

   Synonyms: avieso, malintencionado

4. (dated) left, left-hand (direction)

   Synonym: izquierdo

   Antonyms: derecho, diestro

5. (heraldry) sinister, sinistral

Derived terms

• a diestro y siniestro

Noun

siniestro m (plural siniestros)

1. accident, catastrophe, disaster

Related terms

• siniestra

Further reading

• “siniestro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014