dexterous

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 27, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>dexterous</strong> &#149; \DEK-strus\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> mentally <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adroit">adroit</a> and skillful <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clever">clever</a> </p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> done with mental or physical skill, quickness, or grace <strong>:</strong> done with <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dexterity">dexterity</a> <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artful">artful</a> </p> <p><strong>3 :</strong> skillful and competent with the hands</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>As a shortstop, Alex is a <em>dexterous</em> fielder who is adept at catching any ground ball or line drive hit at him.</p> <p>"And every single one of those weaves is done by hand. No loom is used—only <em>dexterous</em> fingers, sharp eyes and Zen-like concentration." — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/travel/panama-hats-ecuador.html">Roff Smith, <em>The New York Times</em>, 22 July 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Dexterous</em> comes from the Latin word <em>dexter</em>, meaning "on the right side." Since most people are right-handed, and therefore do things more easily with their right hand, <em>dexter</em> developed the sense of "skillful." English speakers crafted <em>dexterous</em> from <em>dexter</em> and have been using the resulting adjective for anyone who is skillful—in either a physical or mental capacity—since at least the early 1600s. The adjective <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambidextrous">ambidextrous</a></em>, which combines <em>dexter</em> with the Latin prefix <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambi-">ambi-