Dictionary Definition
dial
Noun
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]
Verb
1 operate a dial to select a telephone number;
"You must take the receiver off the hook before you dial"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
Its original meaning was 'sundial' and/or 'clock dial', from diālis = "daily", "concerning the day", because of its use in telling the time of day.Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -aɪəl
Noun
- A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
- A clock face.
- A sundial.
- A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.
- A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.
Translations
graduated, circular scale over which a needle
moves
- Czech: ciferník
clock face
- Czech: ciferník
sundial
- Czech: sluneční hodiny f|p
panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change
the wavelength
disk with finger holes on a telephone
- German: Wählscheibe
Verb
Usage notes
- Dialing and dialed are more common in the US. Dialling and dialled are more common in the UK.
Extensive Definition
Dial may mean:
- Rotary dial, a device for the input of numbers in telephones and similar devices
- A sundial or clock face
- Dial (display), a display device in radio, measuring instruments, etc
- Slang for a person's face, e.g., P.G. Wodehouse
- Dial House, an anarchist-pacifist open house in Essex, England
- Dial (soap)
- Dial Corporation, a consumer products company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Henkel KGaA
- The Dial, an American magazine published intermittently from 1840 to 1929
- Dial Records, a name used by several record companies
- DIAL (Markup Language), Device Independent Authoring Language, a W3C Working Draft
- Mode dial, part of dSLR and SLR-like digital cameras
- 'dial.' can be an abbreviation for 'dialect'.
Etymology
Its original meaning was 'sundial' and/or 'clock dial', from Latin diālis = "daily", "concerning the day", because of its use in telling the time of day.dial in French: Cadran
dial in Japanese: ダイヤル
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
appraise, appreciate, assay, assess, buzz, calculate, calibrate, caliper, call, call up, check a parameter,
compute, countenance, divide, estimate, evaluate, face, fathom, features, gauge, give a ring, graduate, hang up, hold the
phone, kisser, listen in,
make a call, map, measure, mensurate, mete, meter, mug, pace, pan, phiz, phone, plumb, prize, probe, puss, quantify, quantize, rate, ring, ring off, ring up, size, size up, sound, span, step, survey, take a reading, telephone, triangulate, valuate, value, visage, weigh