Lefty

/ˈlɛfti/ noun

Definition

A left-handed person; informal and casual way to refer to someone who uses their left hand as their dominant hand.

Etymology

From 'left' (Old English 'lyft,' meaning weak or clumsy) plus informal suffix '-y.' The term 'lefty' emerged in American English in the early 1900s.

Kelly Says

Here's something wild: the word 'left' used to mean 'weak' and 'clumsy,' which is why left-handed people were once seen as sinister (literally—'sinister' is Latin for 'left')—lefties spent centuries being prejudiced against because of language itself.

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