ABSTRACT
The word sinistral, meaning a left-handed person, has an interesting etymology, deriving from the Latin for “left,” sinister, which also means an evil omen (sinister-looking person), or something malignant (sinister motive). Historically, there was little difference: left-handed people were associated with malevolence. As that myth receded, it was replaced by more enlightened empirical research, much of which still suggested some sort of undesirable characteristics or even pathology.
