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Glite Dictionary
counterclockwise rotation

counterclockwise rotation

4.1
A movement that turns to the left, the opposite direction of a clock's hands
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊntərˌklɒkwaɪz roʊˈteɪʃən/
  • US
translation icon : rotación en sentido contrario a las agujas del reloj
  • The counterclockwise rotation of the flagella causes them to move in a coordinated bundle according to their left-handed helicity, and the result is a run (Wang et al. 2008).

Examples

  • The blade depth and strip length are easily adjustable, and the blades may be operated in either a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.

    Academic text (1999)

  • And now this one causes an anti clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of light in an aqueous solution of this.

  • The exponential distribution of the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation intervals has, however, been questioned by some investigators.

    Academic text (2012)

  • For example, as depicted in Figure 7, internal rotation resulted in a lateral shift of the patella accompanied by a counterclockwise rotation.

    Academic text (2001)

  • To open the lid, turn it in a counterclockwise rotation until it clicks.

  • The planet rotates in a counterclockwise rotation, which is unusual for its size.

  • You should move the dial in a counterclockwise rotation to set the combination correctly.

Antonyms

clockwise rotation
1 3.5

A movement that turns in the same direction as the hands of a clock

Surface Forms

counterclockwise rotation singular
counterclockwise rotations plural

Morphology

counterclockwise + rotation

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents: 'counterclockwise' specifies direction (opposite the clock hands) and 'rotation' denotes spinning, so the phrase straightforwardly means a spin in that direction. This is a common, cross-linguistic compositional pattern (often rendered as 'anticlockwise' in some varieties of English), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.

Etymology

The phrase counterclockwise rotation comes from the image of a clock: a clock's hands move to the right, but a counterclockwise rotation goes the other way, to the left. So it means 'a movement that turns to the left'.