Sinister chief

Sinister chief
Sinister Sin"is*ter (s[i^]n"[i^]s*t[~e]r; 277), a.

Note: [Accented on the middle syllable by the older poets, as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden.] [L. sinister: cf. F. sinistre.] 1. On the left hand, or the side of the left hand; left; -- opposed to {dexter}, or {right}. ``Here on his sinister cheek.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

My mother's blood Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister Bounds in my father's --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Note: In heraldy the sinister side of an escutcheon is the side which would be on the left of the bearer of the shield, and opposite the right hand of the beholder. [1913 Webster]

2. Unlucky; inauspicious; disastrous; injurious; evil; -- the left being usually regarded as the unlucky side; as, sinister influences. [1913 Webster]

All the several ills that visit earth, Brought forth by night, with a sinister birth. --B. Jonson. [1913 Webster]

3. Wrong, as springing from indirection or obliquity; perverse; dishonest; corrupt; as, sinister aims. [1913 Webster]

Nimble and sinister tricks and shifts. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

He scorns to undermine another's interest by any sinister or inferior arts. --South. [1913 Webster]

He read in their looks . . . sinister intentions directed particularly toward himself. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

4. Indicative of lurking evil or harm; boding covert danger; as, a sinister countenance. [1913 Webster]

{Bar sinister}. (Her.) See under {Bar}, n.

{Sinister aspect} (Astrol.), an appearance of two planets happening according to the succession of the signs, as Saturn in Aries, and Mars in the same degree of Gemini.

{Sinister base}, {Sinister chief}. See under {Escutcheon}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • sinister chief point — noun : the upper sinister part of the field of an escutcheon see point illustration …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sinister — Sin is*ter (s[i^]n [i^]s*t[ e]r; 277), a. Note: [Accented on the middle syllable by the older poets, as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden.] [L. sinister: cf. F. sinistre.] 1. On the left hand, or the side of the left hand; left; opposed to {dexter}, or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sinister aspect — Sinister Sin is*ter (s[i^]n [i^]s*t[ e]r; 277), a. Note: [Accented on the middle syllable by the older poets, as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden.] [L. sinister: cf. F. sinistre.] 1. On the left hand, or the side of the left hand; left; opposed to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sinister base — Sinister Sin is*ter (s[i^]n [i^]s*t[ e]r; 277), a. Note: [Accented on the middle syllable by the older poets, as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden.] [L. sinister: cf. F. sinistre.] 1. On the left hand, or the side of the left hand; left; opposed to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sinister Dexter — Gunshark Vacation TPB Publication information Publisher Rebellion/2000AD …   Wikipedia

  • Chief — (ch[=e]n), n. [OE. chief, chef, OF. chief, F. chef, fr. L. caput head, possibly akin to E. head. Cf. {Captain}, {Chapter}] 1. The head or leader of any body of men; a commander, as of an army; a head man, as of a tribe, clan, or family; a person… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bar sinister — Sinister Sin is*ter (s[i^]n [i^]s*t[ e]r; 277), a. Note: [Accented on the middle syllable by the older poets, as Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden.] [L. sinister: cf. F. sinistre.] 1. On the left hand, or the side of the left hand; left; opposed to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chief — Synonyms and related words: A per se, Big Brother, ace, achievement, acmatic, alerion, all absorbing, animal charge, annulet, anointed king, antecedent, anterior, apical, arch, argent, armorial bearings, armory, arms, ascendant, at the head,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • chief — Ordinary Or di*na*ry, n.; pl. {Ordinaries} ( r[i^]z). 1. (Law) (a) (Roman Law) An officer who has original jurisdiction in his own right, and not by deputation. (b) (Eng. Law) One who has immediate jurisdiction in matters ecclesiastical; an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland — The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland, sometimes incorrectly called the Office of Arms, is the Republic of Ireland s authority on all heraldic matters relating to Ireland and is located at the National Library of Ireland. The office was… …   Wikipedia

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