handedness

handedness
Preference for the use of one hand, most commonly the right, associated with dominance of the opposite cerebral hemisphere; may also be the result of training or habit.

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hand·ed·ness -nəs n
1) a tendency to use one hand rather than the other
2) the property of an object (as a molecule) of not being identical with its mirror image
3) the property of having either a clockwise or counterclockwise motion (as the corkscrew movement of some microorganisms or their flagella or cilia)

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n.
the preferential use of one hand, rather than the other, in voluntary actions. Ambidexterity - the ability to use either hand with equal skill - is very rare. About 90% of people are right-handed and this correlates with the half of the brain that is dominant for speech: some 97% of right-handed people have left-hemisphere dominance for speech, whereas only 60% of left-handed people are right-hemisphere dominant for speech.

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hand·ed·ness (handґəd-nis) the preferential use in voluntary motor acts of the hand of one side; see dextrality and sinistrality.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • handedness — [han′didnis] n. 1. ability in using one hand more skillfully than, and in preference to, the other 2. Chem. the structural property of an asymmetrical molecule or object which has the mirror image structure of another molecule or object: see also …   English World dictionary

  • Handedness — For other uses, see Handedness (disambiguation). Handedness (also referred to as chirality or laterality) is a human attribute defined by unequal distribution of fine motor skills between the left and right hands. An individual who is more… …   Wikipedia

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  • handedness — chirališkumas statusas T sritis chemija apibrėžtis Objekto nesutapatinamumas su jo veidrodiniu atspindžiu. atitikmenys: angl. chirality; handedness rus. асимметричность; хиральность …   Chemijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • -handedness — comb. form in nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in handed (such as left handedness corresponding to left handed) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Handedness (disambiguation) — Handedness can refer to different things.*handedness of human beings *in mathematics, handedness is a common synonym for orientation or chirality (mathematics) * Chirality, Greek for handedness , is also used to describe a number of similar… …   Wikipedia

  • Handedness and sexual orientation — A relationship between handedness and sexual orientation has been suggested but not verified by a number of researchers, who report that homosexual individuals are somewhat more likely to be non right handed than heterosexual individuals. The… …   Wikipedia

  • handedness — noun Date: 1915 1. a tendency to use one hand rather than the other 2. a. the property of an object (as a molecule) of not being identical with its mirror image ; chirality b. either of the two configurations of an object that may exist in forms… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • handedness — /han did nis/, n. a tendency to use one hand more than the other. [1920 25; HANDED + NESS] * * *       a tendency to use one hand rather than the other to perform most activities; it is the usual practice to classify persons as right handed, left …   Universalium

  • handedness — noun a) The property that distinguishes an asymmetric object from its mirror image. For example, the essential difference between a left and right glove. b) A preference for using one hand rather than the other …   Wiktionary

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