diurnal

WOTD – 2 December 2008    

English

Etymology

From Latin diurnālis, from diēs (“day”). Cognate with journal.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: [daɪˈɜː(ɹ).nəɫ]
• (US) IPA: /daɪˈɝ.nəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ɜː(r)nəl

Adjective

diurnal (not comparable)

1. Happening or occurring during daylight, or primarily active during that time.

   Most birds are diurnal.

2. (botany) Said of a flower open, or releasing its perfume during daylight hours, but not at night.
3. Having a daily cycle that is completed every 24 hours, usually referring to tasks, processes, tides, or sunrise to sunset.
4. (uncommon) Done once every day; daily, quotidian.
5. (archaic) Published daily.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.

Synonyms

• (having a daily cycle): circadian (biology)

Antonyms

• (happening or active during the day): nocturnal, nightly
• (active or open during the day): nocturnal

Coordinate terms

• (active or open during the day): crepuscular

Translations

happening during daylight; primarily active during the day

• Bulgarian: дневен (bg) (dnéven)
• Catalan: diürn (ca)
• Czech: denní (cs) c
• Dutch: dag-
• Esperanto: taga (eo)
• Finnish: päivä- (fi), päiväaikainen (fi), päiväaktiivinen (fi), diurnaalinen (fi)
• French: diurne (fr)
• German: tagaktiv
• Hungarian: nappali (hu)
• Icelandic: dagdýr (is)

• Italian: diurno (it)
• Maori: moepō (mi)
• Persian: روزانه (fa) (ruzâne)
• Polish: dzienny (pl) m
• Portuguese: diurno (pt) m, diurna (pt) f
• Russian: дневной (ru) (dnevnój)
• Slovene: dneven (sl)
• Spanish: diurno (es)
• Swedish: dags- (sv)
• West Frisian: dei-

botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day

• Catalan: diürn (ca)
• Finnish: päiväksi (fi) kukkansa (fi) avaava (fi)

• French: diurne (fr)

having a daily cycle

• Finnish: päivittäinen (fi), vuorokautinen (fi), vuorokausi- (fi)
• French: journalier (fr)

• Slovene: dneven (sl), (bio.) cirkadiaden (sl)

done once every day

• Bulgarian: ежедневен (bg) (ežednéven)
• Czech: denní (cs) c
• Dutch: dagelijks (nl)
• Finnish: päivittäinen (fi), jokapäiväinen (fi)
• French: journalier (fr), quotidien (fr)

• German: täglich (de)
• Hungarian: napi (hu)
• Russian: ежедневный (ru) (ježednevnyj)
• Slovene: dneven (sl)
• West Frisian: deisk, deistich

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Swedish: dygn

Noun

diurnal (plural diurnals)

1. A flower that opens only in the day.
2. (Catholicism) A book containing canonical offices performed during the day, hence not matins.
3. (archaic) A diary or journal.
   • 1663, Hudibras, by Samuel Butler, part 1, canto 2

     He was by birth, some authors write, / A Russian, some a Muscovite, / And 'mong the Cossacks had been bred, / Of whom we in diurnals read.

4. (archaic) A daily news publication.

Translations

A flower that opens during the day

A book of canonical offices

• Italian: diurno, diurnale

• Slovene: dnevnik (sl) m