southpaw

UK: /ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/ US: /ˈsaʊθˌpɔ/ ,(south′pô′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

south•paw /ˈsaʊθˌpɔ/   n. [countable] [Informal.]

1. Informal Terms one who is left-handed.
2. Sport a baseball pitcher who throws with the left hand.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

south•paw  (south′pô′), [Informal.]
n. 

1. Informal Terms a person who is left-handed.
2. Sport
   • a player who throws with the left hand, esp. a pitcher.
   • [Boxing.] a boxer who leads with the right hand and stands with the right foot forward, using the left hand for the most powerful blows.

adj. 

3. Sport left-handed.

• south + paw¹ 1880–85, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

southpaw / ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/ noun

1. a boxer who leads with the right hand and off the right foot as opposed to the orthodox style of leading with the left
2. any left-handed person

adjective

1. of or relating to a southpaw

Etymology: 20th Century: from paw (in the sense: hand): originally a term applied to a left-handed baseball player: perhaps so called because baseball pitchers traditionally face west, so that a left-handed pitcher would throw with the hand on the south side of his or her body