dial

See also: Dial and dial.

English

Detail of a dial (graduated circular scale with a needle)

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, from Latin diēs (“day”). Compare Spanish dial and día (“day”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdaɪəɫ/
• Rhymes: -aɪəl

Noun

dial (plural dials)

A dial (disk with finger holes) on a Swiss telephone

1. A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
2. A clock face.
3. A sundial.
4. A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.
5. A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.
6. (Britain, dated) A person's face.
   • 1960: 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. (P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IX)
7. A miner's compass.

Translations

graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves

• Bulgarian: циферблат m (ciferblat)
• Czech: ciferník (cs) m
• Danish: urskive (da) c (clock)
• Finnish: asteikko (fi)
• French: cadran (fr) m
• German: Zifferblatt (de) n

• Maori: mataine
• Polish: tarcza (pl) f
• Russian: цифербла́т (ru) m (ciferblát)
• Swahili: bonyeza (sw)
• Welsh: deial m, deialau m pl

clock face — see clock face

sundial — see sundial

panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength

• Danish: kanalvælger c
• Dutch: kanaalkiezer (nl) m, f
• Finnish: kanavanvalitsin

• Swahili: bonyeza (sw)
• Welsh: deial m, deialau m pl

disk with finger holes on a telephone

• Bulgarian: телефонна шайба (telefonna šajba)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 撥號盤 (zh), 拨号盘 (zh) (bōhàopán)

• Czech: rotační číselnice f
• Danish: drejeskive c
• Finnish: valintalevy

• French: cadran (fr) m
• German: Wählscheibe (de) f
• Italian: disco combinatore m
• Japanese: ダイヤル (daiyaru)
• Polish: tarcza (pl) f
• Russian: диск (ru) m (disk), набо́рный диск (nabórnyj disk)

person's face

• Finnish: naamataulu (fi)

• French: bouille (fr) f, tronche (fr) f

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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Russian: ^{(please verify)} кругова́я шкала́ f (krugovája škalá)

Verb

dial (third-person singular simple present dials, present participle (US) dialing or dialling, simple past and past participle (US) dialed or dialled)

1. (transitive) To measure or indicate something with a dial.
2. (transitive) To control or select something with a dial
3. (transitive) To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone.
4. (intransitive) To use a dial or a telephone.

Usage notes

• Dialing and dialed are more common in the US. Dialling and dialled are more common in the UK.

Derived terms

Terms derived from dial

• dialer (US)
• dial-in

• dial-up
• direct-dial

• misdial

• redial

Related terms

• dial in
• dial tone

Translations

To measure or indicate something with a dial

• Bulgarian: отчитам (bg) (otčitam)

• Russian: счи́тывать (ru) impf (sčítyvatʹ), счита́ть (ru) pf (sčitátʹ)

To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone

• Bulgarian: набирам (bg) (nabiram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 撥 (zh), 拨 (zh) (bō), 打 (zh) (dǎ) (電話 / 电话)

• Danish: ringe (da)
• French: composer (fr), signaler (fr)
• German: wählen (de)
• Hindi: मिलाना (hi) (milānā)

• Japanese: (電話を) かける (ja) (kakeru)
• Polish: wykręcić (pl), wybrać (pl)
• Portuguese: discar (pt)
• Russian: набира́ть (ru) impf (nabirátʹ), набра́ть (ru) pf (nabrátʹ), звони́ть (ru) impf (zvonítʹ), позвони́ть (ru) pf (pozvonítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: comharraich
• Spanish: marcar (es)
• Swedish: slå (sv)

То read (a clock)

• Bulgarian: показвам (bg) (pokazvam)

Anagrams

• Dail, Dali, dali, laid

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Spanish

Noun

dial m (plural diales)

1. dial

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Welsh

Etymology

Cognate with Cornish dyal and Old Irish dígal.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪ.al/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈdiː.al/, /ˈdi.al/

Noun

dial m (plural dialau or dialon)

1. revenge

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
dial	ddial	nial	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• “dial”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies, 2014