Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dyew-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *dyḗws
Proto-Italic *djous
Latin diēs
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
Proto-Indo-European *-is
Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Latin -ālis
Latin diālis
Middle French dyalbor.
Middle English diall
English dial
The original meaning was 'sundial' and/or 'clock dial'; from Middle English diall, from Middle French dyal, from Latin diālis (“daily, concerning the day”), because of its use in telling the time of day, from Latin diēs (“day”). Compare Spanish dial and día (“day”).
Meanings
A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
Holonyms: (often holonymous) instrument, gauge
The dial on the dashboard showed the car was nearly out of gas.
A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed). ▸ Such a field as part of a clock face; (metonymic) the entire clock face.
A sundial.
A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.
Turn the dial to Radio 4: my favourite show is on!
A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.
His hands were too fat to operate the dial on the telephone.
(Australia, UK, slang) A person's face.
“Well, all I can say is that if yer don't take yer dial outer the road I'll bloomin' well take an' bounce a gibber off yer crust.” 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, page 90:
Old Mona Lisa would have looked like a sour lemon beside Angel Day on the rare days she put a smile on her dial, laughing with her friends when some new man was in town. 2006, Alexis Wright, Carpentaria, Giramondo, published 2012, page 137:
At the sound of the old familiar voice he spun around with something of the agility of a cat on hot bricks, and I saw that his dial, usually cheerful, was contorted with anguish, as if he had swallowed a bad oyster. 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter IX, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
ja ダイヤル (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · fr cadran (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · pl tarcza (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · da urskive (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · cmn 撥號盤 /拨号盘 (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ar مُدَرَّجَة (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · fr cadran (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · aii ܚܘܿܓ݂ܬܵܐ (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · mi mataine (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · uk номеронабира́ч (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ru набо́рный диск (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · de Nummernscheibe (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · de Zifferblatt (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · ro scală (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · ru диск (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ro cadran (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · cmn 刻度盤 /刻度盘 (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · ar مُؤَشِّر (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · fi kanavanvalitsin (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · pl tarcza (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · fr bouille (person's face) · cs rotační číselnice (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ru цифербла́т (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · aii ܚܘܿܓ݂ܬܵܐ (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · nl kiesschijf (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · hu telefontárcsa (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · fi asteikko (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · he חוּגָה (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ru номеронабира́тель (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · cy deial (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · fi valintalevy (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ar مِزْوَل (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ga diail (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · fi naamataulu (person's face) · es dial (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · cs ciferník (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · de Nummernschalter (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ro scală (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · ga diail (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · bg цифербла́т (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · ru табло́ (person's face) · uk диск (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · bg телефо́нна ша́йба (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · da kanalvælger (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · sv nummerskiva (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · da drejeskive (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · nb tallskive (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · aii ܚܘܿܓ݂ܬܵܐ (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · ga diail (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · fa شمارهگیر (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · ko 다이얼 (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · nl kanaalkiezer (panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength) · it disco combinatore (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · de Wählscheibe (disk with finger holes on a telephone) · fr tronche (person's face) · ru цифербла́т (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · es dial (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves) · cy deial (graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves)
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dyew-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *dyḗws
Proto-Italic *djous
Latin diēs
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
Proto-Indo-European *-is
Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Latin -ālis
Latin diālis
Middle French dyalbor.
Middle English diall
English dial
The original meaning was 'sundial' and/or 'clock dial'; from Middle English diall, from Middle French dyal, from Latin diālis (“daily, concerning the day”), because of its use in telling the time of day, from Latin diēs (“day”). Compare Spanish dial and día (“day”).
Meanings
(transitive) To control or select something with a dial, or (figuratively) as if with a dial.
The president has recently dialled down the rhetoric.
The lead guitarist for the rock band Spinal Tap dialed his amplifier to 11.
(transitive) To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone, regardless of whether a physical dial is present.
In an emergency dial 999.
(intransitive) To use a dial or a telephone.
Please be careful when dialling.
(transitive) To initiate a connection to a remote computer service such as a database.
The application failed when attempting to dial the Postgres server, because there were too many open connections.
(dated, intransitive) To use a dial-up modem to connect a personal computer to the Internet.
I always check my guestbook when I dial, just in case anyone saw my Web site.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
dialling
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
UK
lexicographic
dialing
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
US
lexicographic
dialled
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
UK
lexicographic
dialled
Tense=Past
UK
lexicographic
dialed
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
US
lexicographic
dialed
Tense=Past
US
lexicographic
dials
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
Deriveds
mine dial (derived from noun or verb) · undialled (derived from noun or verb) · dial in (derived from noun or verb) · speed dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial down (derived from noun or verb) · dial-up (derived from noun or verb) · dial number (derived from noun or verb) · reset the dial (derived from noun or verb) · shadow dial (derived from noun or verb) · shift the dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial into (derived from noun or verb) · dialist (derived from noun or verb) · dial-around (derived from noun or verb) · war-dial (derived from noun or verb) · subdial (derived from noun or verb) · dial-a-date (derived from noun or verb) · redial (derived from noun or verb) · dial-a-yield (derived from noun or verb) · dead dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial-a-ride problem (derived from noun or verb) · miner's dial (derived from noun or verb) · radium dial (derived from noun or verb) · butt dial (derived from noun or verb) · compass dial (derived from noun or verb) · video dial tone (derived from noun or verb) · dial back (derived from noun or verb) · tropical dial (derived from noun or verb) · dialless (derived from noun or verb) · tide dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial-a-joke (derived from noun or verb) · rotary dial (derived from noun or verb) · dialpainter (derived from noun or verb) · dial out (derived from noun or verb) · pocket dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial it in (derived from noun or verb) · dial down a notch (derived from noun or verb) · speed-dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial indicator (derived from noun or verb) · misdial (derived from noun or verb) · diallist (derived from noun or verb) · dialable (derived from noun or verb) · dial tone (derived from noun or verb) · direct-dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial lock (derived from noun or verb) · dial-a-ride (derived from noun or verb) · undialed (derived from noun or verb) · drunk dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial towards (derived from noun or verb) · dial gauge (derived from noun or verb) · pocket-dial (derived from noun or verb) · rotary-dial (derived from noun or verb) · turn the dial (derived from noun or verb) · dial-in (derived from noun or verb) · don't touch that dial (derived from noun or verb) · autodial (derived from noun or verb) · dial up (derived from noun or verb) · dialer (derived from noun or verb) · move the dial (derived from noun or verb) · moondial (derived from noun or verb) · predial (derived from noun or verb)
Translations (35)
az zəng vurmaq (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · az zəng etmək (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ga diailigh (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · es marcar (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ru набра́ть (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · sv slå (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · cmn 打電話 /打电话 (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · de wählen (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · aii ܚܲܘܸܓ݂ (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · da taste (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · cmn 撥 /拨 (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · fr signaler (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · pl wykręcić (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · da ringe (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · az yığmaq (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · es discar (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · tr aramak (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ur ملانا (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · hu tárcsáz (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ru звони́ть (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · he חייג \ חִיֵּג (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · fi soittaa (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · bg пока́звам (tо read (a clock)) · pl wybrać (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · vi quay (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · bg наби́рам (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ko 전화를 걸다 (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · fr composer (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ja 電話をかける (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ru позвони́ть (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ro forma (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · ru набира́ть (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · pt discar (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · hi मिलाना (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone) · gd comharraich (to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone)