dexterity

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French dextérité, from Latin dexteritas, from dexter (“on the right”), this is in reference to most people having greater fine motor skills in their right hand. Partially displaced native Old English handcræft, whence Modern English handcraft.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛksˈtɛɹɪti/

• Audio (UK)

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• Audio (US)

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Noun

dexterity (countable and uncountable, plural dexterities)

1. Skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.

   Playing computer games can improve your manual dexterity.

   She twirled the pencil through her fingers with impressive dexterity.

   • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎^[1]:

     She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.

Related terms

• dexterous
• ambidextrous

Translations

skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands

• Bulgarian: сръчност (bg) f (srǎčnost), ловкост (bg) f (lovkost)
• Catalan: destresa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 機巧／机巧 (zh) (jīqiǎo), 靈巧／灵巧 (zh) (língqiǎo)

• Czech: zručnost f, šikovnost f
• Danish: fingerfærdighed c
• Dutch: handigheid (nl)
• Finnish: näppäryys (fi), taitavuus (fi)
• French: dextérité (fr) f
• Georgian: მოხერხებულობა (moxerxebuloba), სიმარჯვე (simarǯve), ოსტატურობა (osṭaṭuroba), გაწაფულობა (gac̣apuloba), სიმკვირცხლე (simḳvircxle), შნო (šno)
• German: Fingerfertigkeit f, Geschicklichkeit (de) f, Gewandtheit (de) f
• Greek: επιδεξιότητα (el) f (epidexiótita), δεξιοσύνη (el) f (dexiosýni), επιτηδειότητα (el) f (epitideiótita), μαστοριά (el) f (mastoriá)
• Hebrew: זריזות f, גמישות (he) f, מיומנות (he) f, קלות תנועה
• Hungarian: kézügyesség (hu), ügyesség (hu), fürgeség (hu)
• Indonesian: ketangkasan (id)
• Italian: destrezza (it)
• Japanese: 器用さ (ja) (きようさ, kiyōsa), 素早さ (ja) (すばやさ, subayasa)
• Latin: agilitās f, pernīcitās f
• Lithuanian: miklumas m
• Macedonian: спретност f (spretnost), умешност f (umešnost)
• Old English: handcræft m
• Persian: چیره‌دستی (fa) (čire-dasti), زبردستی (fa) (zebar-dasti), تردستی (fa) (tar-dasti)
• Polish: zręczność (pl) f, zwinność (pl) f
• Portuguese: destreza (pt) f
• Romanian: dexteritate (ro) f, îndemânare (ro) f, iscusință (ro) f, dibăcie (ro) f, abilitate (ro) f
• Russian: ло́вкость (ru) f (lóvkostʹ), сноро́вка (ru) f (snoróvka), прово́рность (ru) f (provórnostʹ), прово́рство (ru) n (provórstvo), подви́жность (ru) f (podvížnostʹ)
• Slovak: zručnosť, obratnosť
• Spanish: destreza (es) f
• Swedish: skicklighet (sv) c, fingerfärdighet (sv) c, händighet (sv)
• Telugu: నైపుణ్యము (te) (naipuṇyamu)