ambidextrous

adj

Etymology: From Medieval Latin ambidexter + -ous, the former from ambi- (“both”) + dexter (“right”), thus literally “both hands being like a right hand”. By surface analysis, ambi- (“both”) + dextrous (“skillful; agile”). The Latin word is first attested in the Vetus Latina, calquing Ancient Greek ἀμφοτεροδέξιος (amphoterodéxios) in Judges 3:15 after the Septuagint, itself translating Hebrew אִטֵּר יַד יְמִינוֹ (iṭṭēr yaḏ yəmīnō, literally “bound in his right hand”). This phrase is now generally translated as “left-handed”; the Septuagint translation is either from a variant reading or from a different interpretation.

1. Having equal or comparable ability in both hands; in particular, able to write well with both hands.

   “Some are […]ambidextrous or right-handed on both sides; which happeneth only unto strong and athletical bodies, whose heat and spirits are able to afford an ability unto both.”

2. Equally usable by left-handed and right-handed people (as a tool or instrument).
3. Practising or siding with both parties.

   “All False, Shuffling, and Ambidextrous Dealings.”

4. Of a person, bisexual.
5. Exceptionally skillful; adept in more than one medium, genre, style, etc.

   “Michelangelo was a very ambidextrous artist, producing sculptures and frescoes with equal ability.”

   “For years, by every possible device, we have been raising the prices of our agricultural products against the foreign buyers […] by every device known to the ambidextrous tradesman and financier. The result is that we have raised up other and unexpected competitors in the markets of the world.”