southpaw
noun
Did you know?
Sandy Koufax, Lefty Grove, Whitey Ford—there’s no doubt these southpaws are some of the greatest baseball players of all time. What is in doubt is the origin of the word southpaw. One popular theory ties it to the layout of baseball parks. To keep the afternoon sun out of batters’ eyes, diamonds were supposedly built so that the pitcher faced west, with their left arm, therefore, pointed south. This theory strikes out however, on account of the earliest known uses of the compound south paw referring simply to one’s left hand, unrelated to baseball. It wasn’t until later in the century that the word began to be used, via metonymy, first for a left-handed person, and then specifically for a left-handed pitcher.
Cite this Entry
“Southpaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southpaw. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.
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