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Was there an alternative adjective to "clockwise" other than "the rotation you take around left hand"?

Also, how did all watch companies around the world agree on what the direction of "clockwise" is?

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[-] Spuddaccino@reddthat.com 188 points 1 year ago

"Sunwise", and for the exact same reason.

Clocks go clockwise because their predecessors did. What were their predecessors?

Sundials.

How does the shadow go around a sundial? Well, sunwise, of course.

Counterclockwise, as said in another comment, was "widdershins", from a Middle Low German phrase meaning "against the way".

[-] kozel@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I've just find (in wiktionary) the word "moonwise", meaning antisunwise/counterclockwise. But the moon moves the same way as the sun does. So is there some deeper meaning based off of some long-term patterns in lunar movement, or is it just simple antagonism sun×moon?

[-] Spuddaccino@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago

That's what it appears to be. This is supported somewhat by the term "moonwise" not having a lot of historical usage, leading me to believe that it came along much later by someone who wanted a related antonym.

The only bit about the moon that seems to travel right to left are it's phase changes, and even that is because we're outside the rotation and watching along it's horizontal plane. You'll see the same thing with anything spinning clockwise in front of you: the closer edge goes right to left, the farther edge goes left to right.

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this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2023
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