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dial

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dial

 

  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Dial  \Di"al\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Dialed}or  {Dialled};  p.  pr  & 
  vb  n.  {Dialing}  or  {Dialling}.] 
  1.  To  measure  with  a  dial. 
 
  Hours  of  that  true  time  which  is  dialed  in  heaven. 
  --Talfourd. 
 
  2.  (Mining)  To  survey  with  a  dial.  --Raymond. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Dial  \Di"al\,  n.  [LL.  dialis  daily,  fr  L.  dies  day  See 
  {Deity}.] 
  1.  An  instrument,  formerly  much  used  for  showing  the  time  of 
  day  from  the  shadow  of  a  style  or  gnomon  on  a  graduated 
  arc  or  surface;  esp.,  a  sundial;  but  there  are  lunar  and 
  astral  dials.  The  style  or  gnomon  is  usually  parallel  to 
  the  earth's  axis,  but  the  dial  plate  may  be  either 
  horizontal  or  vertical. 
 
  2.  The  graduated  face  of  a  timepiece,  on  which  the  time  of 
  day  is  shown  by  pointers  or  hands. 
 
  3.  A  miner's  compass. 
 
  {Dial  bird}  (Zo["o]l.),  an  Indian  bird  ({Copsychus 
  saularius}),  allied  to  the  European  robin.  The  name  is 
  also  given  to  other  related  species. 
 
  {Dial  lock},  a  lock  provided  with  one  or  more  plates  having 
  numbers  or  letters  upon  them  These  plates  must  be 
  adjusted  in  a  certain  determined  way  before  the  lock  can 
  be  operated. 
 
  {Dial  plate},  the  plane  or  disk  of  a  dial  or  timepiece  on 
  which  lines  and  figures  for  indicating  the  time  are 
  placed. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  dial 
  n  1:  the  face  of  a  timepiece;  graduated  to  show  the  hours 
  2:  the  control  on  a  radio  or  television  set  that  is  used  for 
  tuning 
  3:  the  circular  graduated  indicator  on  various  measuring 
  instruments 
  4:  a  disc  on  a  telephone  that  is  rotated  a  fixed  distance  for 
  each  number  called  [syn:  {telephone  dial}] 
  v  1:  operate  a  dial  to  select  a  telephone  number;  "You  must  take 
  the  receive  off  the  hook  before  you  dial" 
  2:  choose  by  means  of  a  dial;  "dial  a  telephone  number" 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Dial 
  for  the  measurement  of  time,  only  once  mentioned  in  the  Bible, 
  erected  by  Ahaz  (2  Kings  20:11;  Isa.  38:8).  The  Hebrew  word 
  (ma'aloth)  is  rendered  steps"  in  Ex  20:26,  1  Kings  10:19,  and 
  degrees"  in  2  Kings  20:9,  10,  11.  The  _ma'aloth_  was  probably 
  stairs  on  which  the  shadow  of  a  column  or  obelisk  placed  on  the 
  top  fell.  The  shadow  would  cover  a  greater  or  smaller  number  of 
  steps,  according  as  the  sun  was  low  or  high. 
 
  Probably  the  sun-dial  was  a  Babylonian  invention.  Daniel  at 
  Babylon  (Dan.  3:6)  is  the  first  to  make  mention  of  the  "hour."




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