Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

1. dextĕra or dextra, ae, f. (as in most langg.; cf. Gr. δεξιά, Germ. die Rechte, etc.; sc. manus), the right hand (freq. a sign of greeting, of fidelity; a symbol of strength, courage, etc.).

  1. A. Prop.: cedo sis dexteram, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 102; Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 84: quod ego te per hanc dextram oro, id. And. 1, 5, 54; cf.: per dexteram te istam oro, quam, etc., Cic. Deiot. 3; cf. also Sall. J. 10, 3; Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 94 al.; and: dexterae, quae fidei testes esse solebant, Cic. Phil. 11, 2, 5: fidem more Persarum dextra dare, Nep. Dat. 10, 1: vos libertatem atque patriam in dextris vostris portare, Sall. C. 58, 8; cf. Verg. A. 2, 291; Hor. Epod. 7, 10; Ov. M. 13, 176; Sil. 1, 77 et saep.: miserat civitas Lingonum vetere instituto dona legionibus dextras, hospitii insigne, a pair of hands clasped in each other, made of gold, silver, etc., Tac. H. 1, 54; cf. id. ib. 2, 8 (so in Gr. δεξιὰν πέμπειν and φέρειν).
    Prov.: dextra tenet calamum; strictum tenet altera ferrum, Ov. H. 11, 3.
    1. 2. Transf.
      1. a. The right side: picus et cornix est ab laeva, corvus porro ab dextera, Plaut. As. 2, 1, 12; cf. Cic. Div. 1, 39, 85: ab dextera, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 89; id. Mil. 3, 1, 13; Ter. And. 4, 3, 19; Sall. C. 59, 2; Ov. M. 2, 5 al.: ilico equites jubet dextera inducere, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 88; so, dexterā, id. ib. 177; Caes. B. C. 2, 15, 3; Sall. J. 101, 9; Liv. 21, 43 et saep.: specta ad dexteram, Plaut. Poen. 3, 4, 1; so, ad dexteram, id. Rud. 1, 2, 67; Ter. And. 4, 4, 12; Att. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 22 fin.; Cic. Univ. 13; Caes. B. C. 1, 69, 3 et saep.
      2. b. Poet., the hand, in gen.: omne sacrum rapiente dextra, Hor. Od. 3, 3, 52; id. S. 2, 1, 54.
  2. B. Trop., pledge of friendship: renovare dextras, Tac. A. 2, 58; cf.: Graecia tendit dexteram Italiae suumque ei praesidium pollicetur, Cic. Phil. 10, 4, 9: nec veriti dominorum fallere dextras, Verg. A. 6, 613; cf. id. ib. 3, 610; Nep. Dat. 10, 1; Just. 11, 15, 13: ne fas, fidem, dextras, deos testes fallat, Liv. 29, 24.

2. dextrā, praep. [orig. dextrā, abl. of preceding], on the right of (post-Aug.); with acc.: dextra sinistraque januam, Gell. 16, 5, 3: dextra viam stratam, Liv. 8, 15, 8: dextra ac sinistra aquilonem, Vitr. 1, 6, 10; id. 6, 11, 3; Paul. ex Fest. p. 206, 18 al.