widdershins
Part of speech: adv
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: First use appears c. 1513, from Middle Low German weddersins (also wēder-, -sinnes), from wed(d)der- (“wither-, against, opposite”) + genitive of sin (“direction, way”).
Inflected forms:
form: withershins
pos: adv
tags: alternative
uncommon
form: widdersins
pos: adv
tags: alternative
archaic
form: withersins
pos: adv
tags: alternative
archaic
form: widishins
pos: adv
tags: alternative
archaic
Senses:
gloss: Anticlockwise, counter-clockwise.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
examples: It is unlucky to walk widdershins around a church.
If Burd Ellen had gone “widishins" round the church, she would, I think, have used the best homoeopathic specific against the Elf-King's power; for "to go widishins" was the chief element in elfin practices, and if mortals wished to resist or unspell elf-craft, they, too, had "to go widershins," or they had to repeat the Paternoster backwards, which came to the same thing, or do something else contrariwise.
Now while they rested, a flittermouse flew forth from the Witchland booths and went widdershins round the wrastling ground and so returned silently whence she came.
Astronomers cannot help regarding the solar system as a small widdershins universe, because the real movements with which they are familiar are nearly all widdershins: the rotation of the sun on its axis, the rotation and revolution of the earth and the moon, the rotation and revolution of the planets and of most of their satellites.
"Widdershins, brother!" said Catweazle impatiently. "Widdershins!" "What are you babbling about?" said Carrot. "We must seek protection. Dost not know widdershins?" "No," said Carrot. "'Tis beyond belief," said Catweazle, shaking his head. Spreading his arms, the old sorcerer crouched down and began to revolve on the spot. Faster and faster he whirled until he was like a spinning top.
Cummer, go ye before, cummer, go ye.
If ye willna go before, cummer, let me.
Ring-a-ring a-widdershins
Linkin' lithely widdershins
Cummer carlin crone and queen
Roun' go we!
The next hour wedge in a counterclockwise (or widdershins) direction, between 8:00 and 7:00 is the 2nd house. The 8:00 line is the cusp of the 2nd house. You continue all around the wheel widdershins until you get to the hour wedge ...
I like to carry the incense widdershins around the room (widdershins being the direction of banishing) and then also run the incense widdershins around windows, doors, and mirrors. You can also do this type of cleansing with a container of ...
They even had a word for it, widdershins, an adaptation of the German word wiederschein, which means “against the sun.” If you walked around a bonfire counterclockwise, or widdershins, you were suspected of harboring a penchant for ...
Widdershins are movements around the circle in an anti clockwise dance. Some witches may find it useful to recite the Lord's Prayer Backwards while moving widdershins in the beginning of the Sabbat Rite, this allowing or 'giving permission' ...
In the Dianic tradition, the cast circle is opened in conjunction with valedictions in reverse order, also known as widdershins or counterclockwise, starting with a valediction to earth and moving from north, to west, to south, to east. In the Dianic ...
The one thing we didn't think of, due in part to our quasi-Gardnerian training, is that one grinds the mill widdershins — counterclockwise, not clockwise. The counterclockwise motion (also called “Moonwise”) churns the energy against ...
The contrary way is widdershins, the way in which the witches danced at the Sabbats. The deosil movement affirms the rule of God's law in Nature because it is the Way of the Sun; the widdershins movement repudiates God's rule over Nature ...
Before people started arriving, I began the day as I always did: by sprinkling saltwater widdershins—counterclockwise—around the perimeter of my shop, then smudging deosil—clockwise—with a sage bundle.
gloss: The wrong way.
pos: adv
tags: Scotland
not-comparable
Related words: deosil
sinistral
Translations: