widdershins

[ with-er-shinz ]

Part of Speech adverb

Origin + Etymology

from Middle Low German weddersins, from Middle High German widersinnes, from wider ‘against’ + sin ‘direction’; the second element was associated with Scots sin ‘sun’

Synonyms

anticlockwise
counterclockwise
left-handed
retrograde
reversely

Antonyms

clockwise

Definition

in a direction contrary to the sun's course, considered as unlucky; counterclockwise

Example

She didn't wake as her dad scooped her up in his arms, carried her down the staircase, then turned fully widdershins so that he was facing North.

Usage Over Time

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Usage Over Time

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[ awr-uh-kuhl ]

a priest or priestess acting as a medium through whom advice or prophecy was sought from the gods in classical antiquity

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[ pur-spi-key-shuhs ]

having a ready insight into and understanding of things

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[ kuh-prish-uhs ]

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior