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counterclockwise

[koun-ter-klok-wahyz]
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adjective, adverb
  1. in a direction opposite to that of the normal rotation of the hands of a clock; not clockwise.
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Also contraclockwise; especially British, anticlockwise.

Origin of counterclockwise

First recorded in 1885–90; counter- + clockwise
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for counterclockwise

Historical Examples

  • Clockwise rotation of the knob increases the volume, counterclockwise rotation diminishes the volume.

    Zenith Television Receiver Operating Manual

    Zenith Radio Corporation

British Dictionary definitions for counterclockwise

counterclockwise

contraclockwise

adverb, adjective
  1. US and Canadian in the opposite direction to the rotation of the hands of a clockAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): anticlockwise
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for counterclockwise

adj., adv.

1870, also counter-clockwise; from counter- + clockwise.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper