Definition of "chiral" [chiral]

• Of or relating to the structural characteristic of a molecule that makes it impossible to superimpose it on its mirror image. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word chiral comes from the Greek word cheir, which means hand."
• "The term chiral is used to describe an object or molecule that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image, with the two objects being referred to as enantiomers."
• "The word chiral derives from the Greek word ceir (cheir), meaning hand."