entry
widdershins
/ˈwɪdərʃɪnz/Moving counterclockwise; backwards
From West Germanic / Germanic wider (against) + West Germanic / Germanic sinnen (to go).
from Old High German sinnen , related to sind "journey" (see send ).
from Old High German sinnen , related to sind "journey" (see send ).
from Middle Low German weddersinnes , literally "against the way" (i.e. "in the opposite direction")
Word Ancestry
from Old High German sinnen , related to sind "journey" (see send ).
from Old High German sinnen , related to sind "journey" (see send ).
from Middle Low German weddersinnes , literally "against the way" (i.e. "in the opposite direction")
In a 1513 translation of the Aeneid, someone wrote of hair standing on end with a move called widdersyns — a wonderfully eerie way of saying “the wrong direction.” The first half is basically “against,” and the second half comes from a old Germanic travel word, so the whole thing feels like a compass shrugging in protest. That makes it kin to everyday words like with and send, which once lived in the same rough neighborhood of going and directing. Scots kept the word alive, and folklore gave it a wicked reputation: turn widdershins and you’re not just going left, you’re flirting with bad luck. A little phrase from a Renaissance translation ended up sounding like the instructions for how to walk out of a haunted house.
The Story
In a 1513 translation of the Aeneid, someone wrote of hair standing on end with a move called widdersyns — a wonderfully eerie way of saying “the wrong direction.” The first half is basically “against,” and the second half comes from a old Germanic travel word, so the whole thing feels like a compass shrugging in protest. That makes it kin to everyday words like with and send, which once lived in the same rough neighborhood of going and directing. Scots kept the word alive, and folklore gave it a wicked reputation: turn widdershins and you’re not just going left, you’re flirting with bad luck. A little phrase from a Renaissance translation ended up sounding like the instructions for how to walk out of a haunted house.
Modern Usage
backward, reversed, unlucky; used playfully or in occult-flavored speech
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary
Kin & Kindred
From 'wider'·against; opposite; wider
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'sinnen'·to go, travel, direct oneself
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia