Levorotatory refers to a property of certain substances, particularly in chemistry, where a compound rotates plane-polarized light to the left, or counterclockwise. This characteristic is often observed in chiral molecules, which are compounds that have non-superimposable mirror images. The term is derived from the Latin words "levo," meaning left, and "rotatory," indicating the ability to rotate light. In contrast to levorotatory substances, there are also dextrorotatory compounds, which rotate light to the right. The distinction between these two types is important in fields like pharmaceuticals, where the specific orientation of a molecule can significantly affect its biological activity and effectiveness.