dexterous

English

From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ.

dexterous (comparative more dexterous, superlative most dexterous)

Skillful with one's hands.
Skillful in some specific thing.
- 1719 April 25, [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719, OCLC 838630407:
  We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me.
Agile; flexible; able to move fluidly and gracefully.
(figurative, archaic) Skilled at argumentation; mentally skillful.
- 1775, speech by Edmund Burke
  […] the study [of law] renders men acute, inquisitive, dexterous, prompt in attack, ready in defense […]

skillful with one's hands

Belarusian: спры́тны (sprýtny), зру́чны (zrúčny), уме́лы (be) (umjély)
Bulgarian: сръчен (bg) (srǎčen), умел (bg) (umel)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 機巧／机巧 (zh) (jīqiǎo), 靈巧／灵巧 (zh) (língqiǎo)
Czech: zručný, šikovný (cs)
Danish: behændig (da)
Dutch: handig (nl), behendig (nl)
Esperanto: manlerta
Finnish: kätevä (fi), näppärä (fi), kätevä käsistään
French: adroit (fr), habile (fr)
Galician: hábil
Georgian: მარჯვე (marǯve), მოხერხებული (moxerxebuli), დახელოვნებული (daxelovnebuli), გაწაფული (gac̣apuli), ოსტატური (osṭaṭuri)
German: behänd (de), geschickt (de), fingerfertig
Italian: destro (it), abile (it), ingegnoso (it)
Japanese: 器用な (ja) (きような, kiyō na)
Latvian: veikls
Macedonian: спретен (spreten), умешен (umešen)
Manx: aghtal
Maori: haratau
Mapudungun: trüf
Old English: handcræftiġ
Polish: zręczny (pl), umiejętny (pl)
Portuguese: hábil/habilidoso (com as mãos)
Romanian: abil (ro), îndemânatic (ro)
Russian: ло́вкий (ru) (lóvkij), прово́рный (ru) (provórnyj), уме́лый (ru) (umélyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: вешт, вјешт

Roman: vešt (sh), vješt (sh)
Slovak: zručný, šikovný
Spanish: diestro (es), hábil (es), habiloso (es)
Swedish: händig (sv)
Turkish: eli çabuk (tr)
Ukrainian: спри́тний (sprýtnyj), згра́бний (zhrábnyj), умі́лий (umílyj)

skillful in some specific thing

Bulgarian: ловък (bg) (lovǎk), сръчен (bg) (srǎčen), умел (bg) (umel), изкусен (bg) (izkusen), находчив (bg) (nahodčiv)
Catalan: destre (ca)
Crimean Tatar: çeber
Dutch: handig (nl)
Finnish: taitava (fi)
Georgian: დახელოვნებული (daxelovnebuli), ოსტატური (osṭaṭuri), გაწაფული (gac̣apuli)
German: geschickt (de), gewandt (de), tüchtig (de)
Italian: abile (it), svelto (it)
Latvian: veikls
Macedonian: умешен (umešen), вешт (vešt)
Manx: aghtal
Polish: zręczny (pl), wprawny (pl)
Portuguese: hábil (pt), habilidoso (pt)
Romanian: abil (ro), descurcăreț (ro)
Russian: уме́лый (ru) (umélyj), иску́сный (ru) (iskúsnyj)
Slovak: šikovný
Spanish: habilidoso (es), diestro (es), habiloso (es), hábil (es)
Turkish: becerikli (tr), hünerli (tr), mahâhretli, mâhir (tr), mârifetli

agile; flexible

Bulgarian: ловък (bg) (lovǎk)
Czech: pružný (cs)
Dutch: behendig (nl)
Finnish: ketterä (fi), jäntevä
Galician: áxil (gl)
Georgian: მკვირცხლი (mḳvircxli), მარდი (mardi), მოძრავი (moʒravi), ცოცხალი (cocxali)
German: agil (de), flexibel (de), flink (de), gewandt (de)
Italian: agile (it), aggraziato (it)
Latin: agilis, pernix
Latvian: veikls, vingrs
Polish: zręczny (pl), gibki (pl)
Portuguese: ágil (pt)
Russian: ло́вкий (ru) (lóvkij), ги́бкий (ru) (gíbkij)
Serbo-Croatian: savitljiv (sh), felksibilan
Slovak: ladný
Spanish: diestro (es)
Turkish: atik (tr), çevik (tr)

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