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Definition of "widdershins" []

  • In a contrary or counterclockwise direction: "The coracle whirled round, clockwise, then widdershins” ( Anthony Bailey). (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "widdershins" in a sentence
  • "We move naturally in a circle around the grave, going to the left, facing outward—what we call widdershins."
  • "Move clockwise, called deosil, to charge up with energy, and move counterclockwise, called widdershins, to banish energy!"
  • "More interestingly, the old (especially Scottish) word widdershins or withershins, etymologically suggesting ` a contrary direction, 'similarly refers to a movement against the apparent course of the sun and therefore considered unlucky or unnatural."