Adroiter

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Skillfulness in executing tasks with finesse and intelligence
2. The trait of being skilled and quick-witted when addressing challenges
3. Showing great skill and cleverness in tasks or problem-solving

Etymology: "Adroiter" is the comparative of "adroit", so it describes someone who is more skilful or deft than another. The base word arrived in English from French, where "adroit" was built from "à", meaning "to" or "towards", and "droit", meaning "right". Put together, the idea is of something done "to the right", that is, straight, correctly and without fumbling. The "right" in "droit" carries the older Latin sense of being laid straight or upright. Latin "dirigere", "to lay straight", gave French its word "droit" through a shortened Late Latin form, and the same stem also lies behind English "direct". So the idea of being on target and in line runs through both words. The surprise is how literal the original picture was. A person described as adroit was, in effect, moving in a straight, correct line rather than stumbling about, and the comparative "adroiter" simply pushes that same image further.

Synonyms: skillful, adept, clever, cunning

Antonyms: clumsy, awkward, inept