widdershins
Nov. 26th, 2010 10:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wid·der·shins
(also: with·er·shins, chiefly in Scotland. Dictionary.com and Wikipedia both say the term is chiefly Scottish)[wid-er-shinz]
-adverb
In a contrary or counterclockwise direction. Dictionary.com adds: considered as unlucky or causing disaster.
from thefreedictionary.com: "The coracle whirled round, clockwise, then widdershins" (Anthony Bailey).
from Wikipedia: widdersyns start my hair, i.e. my hair stood on end. (cites the OED, which cites this usage in 1513)
according to thefreedictionary: [Middle Low German weddersinnes, from Middle High German widersinnes : wider, back (from Old High German widar; see wi- in Indo-European roots) + sinnes, in the direction of (from sin, direction, from Old High German; see sent- in Indo-European roots).]
according to Wikipedia: It is cognate with the German language widersinnig, i.e., "against" + "sense".