antiscian means one of the inhabitants of the Earth, living on different sides of the equator, whose shadows at noon are cast in opposite directions. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
ANTISCIAN — [Noun] An inhabitant of the Earth whose noon shadow is cast in the opposite direction to that of a counterpart on the other side of the equator. From the Greek ἀντί (antí, "opposite") + σκιά (skiá, "shadow"). Unlike "antipodean," which denotes a general geographical opposition, or "periscian," which describes a polar-dweller's circling shadow, an antiscian is defined by a precise, diametric relationship of light measured at the zenith. It is the planter in Java whose slender shadow points south while the herder in Mali casts his northward; a sundial perfectly synchronized yet telling contrary times; two souls standing back-to-back in a single, sunlit noon, divided by an invisible line. The concept maps a world of silent, sundered partners forever linked by a cosmic geometry of estrangement.
noun
- One of the inhabitants of the Earth, living on different sides of the equator, whose shadows at noon are cast in opposite directions.