dextrā sinistrāque
To say "left and right" in Latin, use dextrā sinistrāque, "on the right and on the left". dextrā laevāque means the same. It is also called sinister and dexter.
Meaning: on both sides (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Latin |
|---|
| dextrā sinistrāque |
| dextrā laevāque |
| sinister |
| dexter |
The pair describes things on both sides, as in dextrā sinistrāque stābant, "they stood to the right and to the left". Latin usually names the right side first.
Which one should you use?
sinister is the everyday prose word for "left" and dexter the word for "right". laevus also means "left" but belongs mostly to poetry.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
dextrā and sinistrā are ablatives of dextra and sinistra, understood with manus, "hand", so they literally mean "on the right hand" and "on the left hand". The -que on the second word means "and".
How do you pronounce it?
DEKS-trah si-nis-TRAH-kweh
Did you know?
- English "dexterity" comes from dexter, "right", because the right hand was thought to be the skilful one.
- English "sinister" comes from sinister, "left", which in Latin could also mean "unlucky".
Examples in context
- Dextrā sinistrāque mīlitēs stābant.Soldiers stood to the right and to the left.
- Manum dextram tolle.Raise your right hand.
Example conversation
Quintus asks Lucia for directions.
- QuintusUbi est forum, Lucia?Where is the forum, Lucia?
- LuciaPrīmum sinistrōrsum, deinde dextrōrsum ī.Go left first, then right.
- QuintusEt quid est dextrā sinistrāque?And what is on the right and on the left?
- LuciaDextrā templum est, sinistrā basilica.On the right is a temple, on the left a basilica.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “left” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
