counterworld
|coun-ter-world|
🇺🇸
/ˈkaʊntərwɝld/
🇬🇧
/ˈkaʊntəwɜːld/
parallel or opposite world
Etymology
'counterworld' originates from a combination of two English elements: the prefix 'counter-' (from Old French 'contre', ultimately from Latin 'contra', meaning 'against' or 'opposite') and the noun 'world' (from Old English 'weoruld' meaning 'human existence; age').
'counterworld' has been formed in modern English by compounding 'counter-' + 'world'. The hyphenated form 'counter-world' appears in some 19th–20th century usages; over time it has also been written as the solid compound 'counterworld' in speculative and literary contexts.
Initially, the parts conveyed 'a world that is against or opposite'; over time the compounded term has come to be used more broadly in fiction and theory to mean a parallel, alternate, or mirrored world rather than only an adversarial one.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a hypothetical or fictional world that exists alongside or opposite to our own, often used in science fiction and fantasy to denote a parallel or mirror universe.
In the novel, the protagonist accidentally slips into a counterworld where history took a different turn.
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Noun 2
a conceptual or metaphorical realm characterized by qualities opposite to those of the familiar world (e.g., ethical, physical, or logical inversion).
Philosophers sometimes invoke a counterworld as a thought experiment to examine moral inversions.
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Last updated: 2025/11/28 09:46