anticlockwise

«anticlockwise» in Mova's school dictionary: turning in the opposite direction to the hands of a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adverb and adjective (anticlockwise) — UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ; US and Canada say «counterclockwise»

meaning for a pupil

1) Anticlockwise means turning in the opposite direction to the hands of a clock: from 12 towards 9, then 6, then 3. tree →

2) As an adjective it describes that direction («an anticlockwise turn»). tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths lessons on turns, angles and rotation, shapes are turned clockwise or anticlockwise by a quarter, half or three-quarter turn. In everyday life you turn many lids and taps anticlockwise to open them («lefty loosey»). In PE and dance, children move round the circle anticlockwise.

examples

• Turn the jar lid anticlockwise to open it. tree →
• Rotate the triangle a quarter turn anticlockwise. tree →
• We ran anticlockwise round the track. tree →
• The roundabout in the UK goes clockwise, but in the USA traffic goes counterclockwise. tree →
• Turn the tap anticlockwise to let the water out. tree →
• Draw the arrow showing an anticlockwise turn. tree →
• Stir the paint anticlockwise. tree →

note

Written as one word; some write «anti-clockwise». US/Canada: counterclockwise. In maths a quarter turn = 90 degrees, a half turn = 180, a three-quarter turn anticlockwise is the same as a quarter turn clockwise.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «anticlockwise» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.