Ambidextrous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌæm.biˈdɛk.stɹəs/

Definitions

1. Having the ability to skillfully use both hands without preference is a notable trait
2. A person capable of performing tasks equally well with either hand showcases remarkable versatility
3. Capable of performing manual tasks with either hand with equal skill

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "ambidextrous" is that its first recorded appearance describes a left-handed man, not a skilled one. In the Latin Vetus Latina translation of the Book of Judges (3:15), the phrase "ambidexter" renders an ancient Greek word, "amphoterodexios," which the Septuagint used to translate a Hebrew phrase meaning "bound in his right hand." That Hebrew idiom is now generally rendered as "left-handed," so the word began life as a description of a warrior who could fight with either hand, a skill the Hebrew text apparently attributes to a left-handed man. The Latin word is built from "ambi-," meaning "both," and "dexter," meaning "right" (as in "right hand"), so it literally meant "both hands being like a right hand." The sense of skill came later: English speakers, reading the word through "dextrous" (skilful, agile, from the same Latin root), came to treat it as a compliment to a person's versatility rather than a comment on which hand was used. The English form "ambidextrous" reflects the Medieval Latin "ambidexter" with the adjective ending "-ous" added.

Synonyms: versatile, two-handed

Antonyms: right-handed, left-handed