withershins
in a direction contrary to the natural one, especially contrary to the apparent course of the sun or counterclockwise: considered as unlucky or causing disaster.
Origin of withershins
1- Also wid·der·shins [wid-er-shinz] /ˈwɪd ərˌʃɪnz/ .
- Compare deasil.
Words Nearby withershins
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use withershins in a sentence
Having arrived at their rendezvous, they danced round it ‘withershins’—that is, in reverse of the apparent motion of the sun.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport AdamsIt is a rough insulated mass, of considerable dimensions, and it is held unlucky to ride thrice withershins around it.
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border Volume III (of 3) | Walter ScottBut this is telling our tale "withershins about," as they say in Netherby.
Cleg Kelly, Arab of the City | S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) CrockettMr. German Doustercivil, the agent at Glen-withershins mining-works.
The Antiquary, Complete | Sir Walter ScottTo go round the person in the opposite direction, or “withershins,” is an evil incantation and brings ill-fortune.
The Kath Sarit Sgara | Somadeva Bhatta
British Dictionary definitions for withershins
widdershins
/ (ˈwɪðəˌʃɪnz, Scottish ˈwɪðər-) /
in the direction contrary to the apparent course of the sun; anticlockwise
in a direction contrary to the usual; in the wrong direction: Compare deasil
Origin of withershins
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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