LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)

sinister

sinister (feminine sinistra, neuter sinistrum, comparative sinistrior, superlative sinistimus, adverb sinistrē)
Classical[sɪˈnɪs.tɛr]Ecclesiastical[siˈnis.ter]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectiveleft
  2. adjectiveperverse, bad; or adverse, hostile
    1st BC, Virgilius mores sinistri arboribus Notus sinister
  3. adjectiveauspicious (for Romans) or inauspicious (for Greeks)
    1st BC, Virgilius sinistra cornixgood omen
    2nd century, Apuleius sinistro pede profectusstarted with bad omen

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

pars laeva.
sinister -tra -trum — in Mille Verba, Corpus Hūmānum
malignus, īnfaustus
sinister -tra -trum — in Epistulae, ch. 5

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Sinister · Lævus

Sinister (old Germ. winistra) denotes the left, as a usual and prosaic expression, like ἀριστερός; lævus (λαιός) as a select and poetical expression, like σκαιός. In a figurative sense sinister is the symbol of unpropitiousness and of disaster; lævus, of perverseness and of awkwardness. (vi. 336.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativein -er
sinister		sinistra
sinextra		sinistrum
sinextrum
genitivesinistrī
sinextrī		sinistrae
sinextrae		sinistrī
sinextrī
dativesinistrō
sinextrō		sinistrae
sinextrae		sinistrō
sinextrō
accusativesinistrum
sinextrum		sinistram
sinextram		sinistrum
sinextrum
ablativesinistrō
sinextrō		sinistrā
sinextrā		sinistrō
sinextrō
vocativesinistersinistra
sinextra		sinistrum
sinextrum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativesinistrī
sinextrī		sinistrae
sinextrae		sinistra
sinextra
genitivesinistrōrum
sinextrōrum		sinistrārum
sinextrārum		sinistrōrum
sinextrōrum
dativesinistrīs
sinextrīs		sinistrīs
sinextrīs		sinistrīs
sinextrīs
accusativesinistrōs
sinextrōs		sinistrās
sinextrās		sinistra
sinextra
ablativesinistrīs
sinextrīs		sinistrīs
sinextrīs		sinistrīs
sinextrīs
vocativesinistrī
sinextrī		sinistrae
sinextrae		sinistra
sinextra

sĭnister, tra, trum (
I. comp. sinisterior; sup. sinistimus, Prisc. pp. 605 and 607 P.; Fest. s. v. dextimum, p. 74; and s. v. sinistrae, p. 339 Müll.), adj. etym. dub.; perh. from sinus (i. e. togae); cf. Pott, Etym. Forsch. 2, 555; the ending is a double comp. -is and -ter; cf.: magister, minister.
I. Left, on the left, on the left hand or side (syn.: laevus, scaevus): manus sinistra (opp. dextra), Quint. 11, 3, 114: manus, Nep. Dat. 3; Quint. 11, 3, 159: bracchium, id. 11, 3, 141: latus, id. 11, 3, 99: numerus, id. 11, 3, 93; 11, 3, 113; 11, 3, 140: pes, id. 11, 3, 125; 11, 3, 159: cornu (opp. dextrum), Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 5; Caes. B. G. 7, 62; id. B. C. 2, 34; 3, 67 al.: pars, id. B. G. 2, 23; id. B. C. 2, 4 fin.: angulus castrorum, id. ib. 3, 66: ripa, Hor. C. 1, 2, 18: calceus, Suet. Aug. 92: tibia, Phaedr. 5, 7, 7 et saep.—As substt.
1. sĭnistrum, i, n. (sc. latus), the left side: reicere a sinistro togam, Quint. 11, 3, 144; so, in sinistrum, id. 11, 3, 109; 11, 3, 113; 11, 3, 114; 11, 3, 135.—
2. sĭnistra, ae, f. (sc. manus), the left hand, the left: sinistrā impeditā satis commode pugnare non poterant, Caes. B. G. 1, 25; id. B. C. 1, 75 fin.; Quint. 11, 3, 131; 11, 3, 160; Suet. Claud. 21; Ov. M. 12, 89 et saep.—Used in stealing: natae ad furta sinistrae, Ov. M. 13, 111; cf. Cat. 12, 1; hence, of a thief's accomplices: Porci et Socration, duae sinistrae Pisonis, id. 47, 1.—As bearing the shield and defending: idem (Afer) per allegoriam M. Caelium melius obicientem crimina quam defendentem, Bonam dextram, malam sinistram habere dicebat, Quint. 6, 3, 69—
B. Transf., the left side: cur a dextrā corvus, a sinistrā cornix faciat ratum? Cic. Div. 1, 39, 85: aspicite a sinistrā, id. Phil. 6, 5, 12: aspice nunc ad sinistram, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 38: sub sinistrā Britanniam relictam conspexit, Caes. B. G. 5, 8: miles dexterā ac sinistrā muro tectus, id. B. C. 2, 15; cf.: innumerabiles supra infra, dextrā sinistrā, ante post ejusmodi mundos esse, Cic. Ac. 2, 40, 125.— Rarely in plur.: sinistris repentino consilio Poetelii consulis additae vires (opp. dextra pars), Liv. 9, 27, 9.—Comp.: in sinisteriore parte (= sinistrā), Varr. L. L. 9, § 34 Müll.; so, cornu (opp. dexterius), Galb. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30, 4: bracchium, Suet. Dom. 17: mamma, Cels. 4, 1 med.: equus funalis, Suet. Tib. 6 fin.: rota, Ov. M. 2, 139.—Sup., v. supra init.—
II. Trop.
A. Awkward, wrong, perverse, improper (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): mores, Verg. A. 11, 347: liberalitas, Cat. 29, 16: instituta (Judaeorum), Tac. H. 5, 5: natura (with prava), Curt. 7, 4, 10.—
B. Unlucky, injurious, adverse, unfavorable, ill, bad, etc. (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): arboribus satisque Notus pecorique sinister, Verg. G. 1, 444: interpretatio, Tac. Agr. 5 fin.; cf.: sermones de Tiberio, id. A. 1, 74; so, sermones, Plin. Ep. 1, 9, 5: fama eo de homine, Tac. A. 6, 32; 11, 19; id. H. 1, 51 fin.: rumor lenti itineris, id. ib. 2, 93 fin.: diligentia, Plin. Ep. 7, 28, 3 et saep.: pugna Cannensis, Prop. 3, 3 (4, 2), 9: studii signa sinistra mei, Ov. Tr. 5, 7, 64; v. also infra, C. fin.—With gen.: (Hannibal) fidei sinister, faithless, Sil. 1, 56 (cf.: pravos fidei, id. 3, 253).—Subst.: sĭnistrum, i, n., evil: (matrona) studiosa sinistri, Ov. Tr. 2, 257.—
C. With respect to auspices and divination, acc. to the Roman notions, lucky, favorable, auspicious (because the Romans on these occasions turned the face towards the south, and so had the eastern or fortunate side on the left; while the Greeks, turning to the north, had it on their right; cf. dexter, II. 2.): ita nobis sinistra videntur, Graiis et barbaris dextra, meliora. Quamquam haud ignoro, quae bona sint, sinistra nos dicere, etiam si dextra sint, etc., Cic. Div. 2, 39, 82; cf.: fulmen sinistrum auspicium optimum habemus ad omnes res praeterquam ad comitia, id. ib. 2, 35, 74 (with this cf. id. Phil. 2, 38, 99): liquido exeo foras Auspicio, avi sinistra, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 2; so, avi sinistra, id. Ps. 2, 4, 72; cf. cornix, Verg. E. 9, 15: volatus avium, Plin. Pan. 5, 3: tonitrus, Ov. Tr. 1, 9, 49.—Sometimes in the Greek sense (or in direct reference to the signif. B.), unlucky, unfavorable, inauspicious: di, precor, a nobis omen removete sinistrum, Ov. H. 13, 49: avibus sinistris, id. ib. 2, 115: sinistris auspiciis, Val. Max. 4, 7, 2 fin.: fulmen, Cic. Phil. 2, 38, 99: sinistram approbationem (opp. dextram), Cat. 45, 8 and 17; cf: sinistro pede proficisci, App. M. 1, p. 104, 23.—Hence, adv.: sĭnistrē, badly, wrongly, perversely: derisum semel exceptumque sinistre, Hor. A. P. 452: accipere, Tac. H. 1, 7; 3, 52 fin.: non tam sinistre constitutum est, Plin. Pan. 45, 5.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *senisteros, of unclear origin. Possibly a euphemism from Proto-Indo-European *senh₂-is- (“more obtaining”), from *senh₂- (“to seek, gain”) (thus the direction of "left" as "the more favorable (side)"), cognate with Sanskrit सनोति (sanoti, “to gain, procure”), सनीयान् (sanīyān, “more useful, more advantageous”).

Elsewhere
  • Catalansinistre
  • Germansinister
  • Englishsinister
  • Frenchsinistre
  • Italiansinistro
  • Portuguesesinistro
  • Romaniansinistru
  • Danishsinister
  • Dutchsinister
  • Galiciansinistro
Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchsenestrefrom Old French senestre
  • Frenchsénestrefrom Old French senestre
  • Frenchsenêtrefrom Old French senestre
  • Occitansenèstre
  • Old Catalansenestre
  • Normans'nêtrefrom Old French senestre
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesesestrofrom Old Galician-Portuguese sẽestro
  • Spanishsiniestrofrom Old Spanish siniestro
  • Asturiansiniestru
  • Ladinosiniestrofrom Old Spanish siniestro
  • Ladinoסינייסטרוfrom Old Spanish siniestro
Italo-Romance
  • Italiansinèstro
North Italian
  • Friuliansignestri
  • Romanshsanester
  • Romanshseniester
  • Romanshsaniester
  • Romanshschnester
  • Venetansenestro

Quick answers

What does sinister mean in Latin?
sinister, a adjective, means “left; perverse, bad; or adverse, hostile”.
How do you pronounce sinister?
In classical Latin, [sɪˈnɪs.tɛr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [siˈnis.ter].