coun·ter·turn \ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷+ˌ-\noun Etymology:counter- + turn 1.[translation of Greek antistrophe]: an unexpected turn or development in the action of a play especially at the climax 2.: a turn in the opposite direction < amid the turns and counterturns, the strife and various trials of our complex being — William Wordsworth >