Part 419

Nimble and sinister tricks and shifts.

Bacon.

He scorns to undermine another's interest by any sinister or inferior arts.

South.

He read in their looks . . . sinister intentions directed particularly toward himself.

Sir W. Scott.

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

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.

Sin"is*ter-hand"ed (?), a. Left- handed; hence, unlucky. [Obs.] Lovelace.

Sin"is*ter*ly, adv. In a sinister manner. Wood.

Sin"is*trad (?), adv. [L. sinistra the left hand + ad to.] (Anat. & Zoöl.) Toward the left side; sinistrally.

Sin"is*tral (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to the left, inclining to the left; sinistrous; -- opposed to dextral.

2. (Zoöl.) Having the whorls of the spire revolving or rising to the left; reversed; -- said of certain spiral shells.

Sin`is*tral"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being sinistral.

Sin"is*tral*ly (?), adv. Toward the left; in a sinistral manner. J. Le Conte.

Sin"is*trin (sn"s*trn), n. [L. sinister left.] (Chem.) A mucilaginous carbohydrate, resembling achroödextrin, extracted from squill as a colorless amorphous substance; -- so called because it is levorotatory.

Sin`is*tror"sal (?), a. [L. sinistrorsus, sinistroversus, turned toward the left side; sinister left + vertere, vortere, versum, vorsum, to turn.] Rising spirally from right to left (of the spectator); sinistrorse.

Sin"is*trorse` (?), a. [See Sinistrolsal.] Turning to the left (of the spectator) in the ascending line; -- the opposite of dextrorse. See Dextrorse.

Sin"is*trous (?), a. [See Sinister.] 1. Being on the left side; inclined to the left; sinistral. "Sinistrous gravity." Sir T. Browne.

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2. Wrong; absurd; perverse.

A knave or fool can do no harm, even by the most sinistrous and absurd choice.

Bentley.

Sin"is*trous*ly (sn"s*trs*l), adv. 1. In a sinistrous manner; perversely; wrongly; unluckily.

2. With a tendency to use the left hand.

Many, in their infancy, are sinistrously disposed, and divers continue all their life left-handed.

Sir T. Browne.

Sink (sk), v. i. [imp. Sunk (sk), or (Sank (sk)); p. p. Sunk (obs. Sunken, -- now used as adj.); p. pr. & vb. n. Sinking.] [OE. sinken, AS. sincan; akin to D. zinken, OS. sincan, G. sinken, Icel. sökkva, Dan. synke, Sw. sjunka, Goth. siggan, and probably to E. silt. Cf. Silt.] 1. To fall by, or as by, the force of gravity; to descend lower and lower; to decline gradually; to subside; as, a stone sinks in water; waves rise and sink; the sun sinks in the west.