Diaheliotropic
(Di`a*he`li*o*trop"ic) a. [Gr. through, at variance + sun + turning.] (Bot.) Relating or, or
manifesting, diaheliotropism.
Diaheliotropism
(Di`a*he`li*ot"ro*pism) n. (Bot.) A tendency of leaves or other organs of plants to have
their dorsal surface faced towards the rays of light.
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 (Zoöl.), an Indian bird 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.
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.
Dialect
(Di"a*lect) n. [F. dialecte, L. dialectus, fr. Gr. fr. to converse, discourse. See Dialogue.]
1. Means or mode of expressing thoughts; language; tongue; form of speech.
This book is writ in such a dialect
As may the minds of listless men affect.
Bunyan.
The universal dialect
of the world.
South. 2. The form of speech of a limited region or people, as distinguished from ether forms nearly related to
it; a variety or subdivision of a language; speech characterized by local peculiarities or specific circumstances; as,
the Ionic and Attic were dialects of Greece; the Yorkshire dialect; the dialect of the learned.
In the midst of this Babel of dialects there suddenly appeared a standard English language.
Earle.
[Charles V.] could address his subjects from every quarter in their native dialect.
Prescott. Syn. — Language; idiom; tongue; speech; phraseology. See Language, and Idiom.
Dialectal
(Di`a*lec"tal) a. Relating to a dialect; dialectical; as, a dialectical variant.
Dialectic
(Di`a*lec"tic) n. Same as Dialectics.
Plato placed his dialectic above all sciences.
Liddell & Scott. Dialectic
(Di`a*lec"tic Di`a*lec"tic*al) a. [L. dialecticus, Gr. : cf. F. dialectique. See Dialect.]
1. Pertaining to dialectics; logical; argumental.
2. Pertaining to a dialect or to dialects. Earle.
