Where does “sinister” come from?

Sinister comes from Middle English sinistre, from Old French sinistra, from Latin sinestra meaning left or on the left side.

sinister (English): Inauspicious, ominous, unlucky, illegitimate;...

Definitions

  1. Inauspicious, ominous, unlucky, illegitimate;...

Ancestry of “sinister”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsinistreunlucky
2Old Frenchsinistraleft
3Latinsinestraleft hand

Words derived from “sinister”

Every word from Latin sinestra →Every word from Old French sinistra →Every word from Middle English sinistre →