Giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen; threatening or ominous.
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Latin15th centurywell-attested
From Latin 'sinister' (left, on the left side, unfavorable, unlucky, wrong). The etymology of 'sinister' itself is uncertain: some scholars link it to a PIE root *sen- (apart, separated), others propose it was a euphemism meaning 'more useful side' — a taboo avoidance. In Roman augury, the augur faced north, making left the west (
English 'lyft' meaning 'weak, worthless.' The heraldic use (the left side of the shield from the bearer's perspective) preserves the neutral spatial sense. Key roots: sinister (Latin: "left, on the left side — ultimate origin uncertain, possibly from PIE *sen- (old) via the idea of the weaker side").