widdershins

adverb

wid·der·shins | \ˈwi-dər-shənz

\

variants: or less commonly withershins \ˈwi-t͟hər-shənz

\

Definition of widdershins

: in a left-handed, wrong, or contrary direction : counterclockwise — compare deasil

Did You Know?

Legend holds that demons always approached the devil widdershins. Not surprisingly, such a path was considered evil and unlucky. By the mid-1500s, English speakers had adopted "widdershins," (from the Old High German widar, meaning "back" or "against," and sinnen, meaning "to travel") for anything following a path opposite to the direction the sun travels across the sky (that is, counterclockwise). But in its earliest known uses "widdershins" was far less malignant; it was used simply to describe a case of bad hair in which unruly locks stood on end or fell the wrong way.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about widdershins

Listen to Our Podcast about widdershins

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near widdershins

Statistics for widdershins

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for widdershins

The first known use of widdershins was in 1545

See more words from the same year

Comments on widdershins

What made you want to look up widdershins? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

perennial

living or existing for a long time

Test Your Vocabulary

Late Autumn 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of yahoo?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games