Word: Dextrorotation
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: Dextrorotation is a term used mainly in science, especially in chemistry and physics, to describe the rotation of a plane of polarized light to the right (or clockwise) when it passes through a substance.
Imagine you are looking at a light beam that is passing through a special material. If the light beam spins in a clockwise direction, we say that the material causes dextrorotation. The prefix "dextro-" means "right," so it indicates the direction of the rotation.
In scientific contexts, dextrorotation is often measured in degrees. For instance, a chemist may say, "The compound has a dextrorotatory angle of +45 degrees."
In a broader sense, "dextrorotation" does not have many alternate meanings outside scientific contexts. However, it is sometimes used metaphorically in discussions about direction or orientation.
There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs directly related to "dextrorotation," as it is a specialized scientific term.
"Dextrorotation" is a specific term used primarily in scientific discussions about light and its interaction with materials.