Where does “contraclockwise” come from?
contraclockwise (English) comes from English clockwise, from English clock, from Middle English clokke, from Middle Dutch clocke, from Old Dutch *clocca, from Proto-West Germanic *klokkā, from Medieval Latin clocca, from Old Irish cloc.
contraclockwise (English): counterclockwise
Definitions
- counterclockwise
Ancestry of “contraclockwise”, step by step
contraclockwise traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English clockwise
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clockwise | In a curve or twist corresponding to the movement... |
| 2 | English | clock | An instrument used to measure or keep track of... |
| 3 | Middle English | clokke | clock, timekeeping device |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | clocke | bell; something bell-shaped |
| 5 | Old Dutch | *clocca | bell |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *klokkā | bell |
| 7 | Medieval Latin | clocca | bell; travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so... |
| 8 | Old Irish | cloc | bell; clock |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | klokkos | bell |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | klēg- | — |