dice en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- dīs
- /daɪs/
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Old French de Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Italic *-os Latin -os Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-h₁its Proto-Italic *-its Latin -es Old French -s Old French desbor. Middle English dys English dice From Middle English dys, plural of dy. See the etymology of die (etymology 2) for further information. The voiceless /s/ was most likely retained because the word felt like a collective term rather than a plural form (compare pence), and the spelling dice is a result of the pronunciation.
Meanings
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(uncountable) Gaming with one or more dice.
I, at any rate, am convinced that He is not playing at dice.
1971, Albert Einstein, Max Born, Hedwig Born. Irene Born (tr.), The Born-Einstein Letters, page 91:Or think of a decent young citizen in a toga—perhaps too much dice, you know—coming out here in the train of some prefect, or tax-gatherer, or trader even, to mend his fortunes.
1899 (please specify the page), Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part:The problem is that no one can throw a die twice in precisely the same way, and this is why dice is a game of chance and not a skill.
1990, Ivar Ekeland, Mathematics and the Unexpected, page 67:On the other hand, evolution is not a matter of chance, even in the sense in which a game of dice is a game of chance.
1964, Theodosius Grigorievich Dobzhansky, Heredity and the nature of man:
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(form-of, plural) plural of die
form of die
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(countable, qualifier:proscribed by some) A die.
1980, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, “The Winner Takes It All”, Super Trouper, Polar Music The gods may throw a dice / Their minds as cold as ice
A white house set like a dice on a rock already venerable with the scars of wind and water.
1945, Lawrence Durrell, Prospero's Cell: A Guide to the Landscape and Manners of the Island of Corfu:When we see a dice, we see an object which has six sides, some of which can be seen from where we are, others can be seen if we twist it or move around it.
2009, Hubert L. Dreyfus, Mark A. Wrathall, A Companion to Phenomenology and Existentialism, page 106:
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(qualifier:formerly countable, uncountable) That which has been diced.
If your worship is inclined to take a small draught of good wine, though not very cool, I have here a calabash full of the best, and some dices of Tronchon cheese
1782, Tobias George Smollett, The history and adventures of the renowned Don Quixote, 5th edition, volumes 3-4, translation of original by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra:Cut onions, carrots and celery into medium dice.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dice | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| dices | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
dice game · Efron's dice · diceplay · electric dice · Poker Dice · dicelike · percentile dice · God does not play dice with the universe · throw of the dice · dice coal · bale of dice · dicey · dice divination · dice roll · fuzzy dice · diceman · roll the dice · dice oracle · drugstore dice · dice snake · dice run · dice mechanic · liar dice · dice shaker · loaded dice · God does not play dice · no dice · roll of the dice · let the dice fall where they may · dice box · dicemaker · dice tower · diceless · dicebox · dice girl · pass-dice · percentage dice · diceware · dice-box · precision dice · liar's dice · diceboard