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English Dictionary - With Multi-Lingual Search
| Word of the Week--"Ambidextrous" |
Definition--Ambidextrous- adj. able to use both hands equally well.
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| Discussion--Commonly we will hear people use the substitute "both-handed" for
ambidextrous. Many children display the ability to use both hands equally well until they finally develop more coordination in one hand
than the other. However, this unequal development does not occur in all people, as some people are able to use both hands equally well
for their entire lives.
Being ambidextrous can lead to many advantages in the athletic world. The ability to use both hands when dribbling and shooting aids basketball players.
In baseball, it is considered a great advantage to be able to hit from both sides of the plate because you can adjust to whatever hand the pitcher
throws with. In one interesting moment in baseball history both the hitter and pitcher were ambidextrous. When the batter would hit right-handed, the pitcher
would throw right-handed. When the batter tried to switch sides in the middle of the at-bat, the pitcher went to the dugout and got a different glove so he could
switch the hand he was throwing with!
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| Etymology--Ambidextrous- directly from Late Latin ambidexter (ambi- both + dexter- right-handed).
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Foreign Translations
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| Dutch: |
tweehandig
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| French: |
ambidextre
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| German: |
mit beiden Händen gleich geschickt
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| Italian: |
ambidestro
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| Spanish: |
ambidextro
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