Page (paper) from an earlier meaning "to create a row of vines that form a rectangle." The Latin word "pagina" derives from the verb "pangere," which means to stake out boundaries when planting vineyards. In a book, the side of a leaf one reads first is called the recto page, and the back side of that leaf is called the verso page. In a spread, one reads the verso page first and then reads the recto page of the next leaf. In English-language books, the recto page is on the right and the verso page is on the left. By modern convention,
Bias against left-handed people Roman toga had only one pocket, located on the left side. The right hand has historically been associated with skill: the Latin word for right-handed is "dexter", as in "dexterity", meaning manual skill. Even the word "ambidexterity" reflects the bias. Its intended meaning is "skillful on both sides". However, since it keeps the Latin root "dexter", which means "right", it ends up conveying the idea of being "right-handed on both sides". This bias is also apparent in the lesser-known antonym "ambisinistrous", which means "left-handed ["i.e.", clumsy] on both sides". In more technical contexts, "sinistral" may be used in place of