sundial

[ suhn-dahy-uhl, -dahyl ]

/ ˈsʌnˌdaɪ əl, -ˌdaɪl /

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noun

an instrument that indicates the time of day by means of the position, on a graduated plate or surface, of the shadow of the gnomon as it is cast by the sun.

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Origin of sundial

First recorded in 1570–80; sun + dial

Words nearby sundial

sun deck, sunder, sundered, Sunderland, sundew, sundial, sun disc, sun disk, sundog, sundown, sundowner

How to use sundial in a sentence

For people with young children, beach tents provide consistent and reliable beach shade—you won’t have to keep moving your umbrella like a sundial throughout the day to keep everyone covered.
The best beach tents help you keep your cool even on the hottest days|Eric Alt|November 22, 2021|Popular-Science
It’s amazing to use the stars spinning overhead during the winter as a sundial, where by the position of stars you know what time of day or night it is.
What You Can Learn from Living in Antarctica - Issue 92: Frontiers|Marissa Grunes|November 11, 2020|Nautilus
He has been accused of slow and ugly throwing mechanics (one sports writer said you could time his release with a sundial).
Why Tim Tebow Is the Sarah Palin of Football|Allison Yarrow|January 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Our next quest was for a sundial plate, but it was a vain search, for not a store in town carried such an article.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton

The grape arbour along the west side of the sundial lawn was also built, of plain chestnut.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
“This is no time for bad puns,” she answered, dragging me swiftly down through the orchard, and up again to the sundial.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
Then it whitened the sundial lawn, reminding us to take the wooden dial post in for the winter.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
Beside, a sundial is not a portable instrument, and Joshua and his men had something more pressing to do than to loiter round it.
The Astronomy of the Bible|E. Walter Maunder

British Dictionary definitions for sundial

sundial

/ (ˈsʌnˌdaɪəl) /

noun

a device indicating the time during the hours of sunlight by means of a stationary arm (the gnomon) that casts a shadow onto a plate or surface marked in hours

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sundial

Origin of sundial

Words nearby sundial

Words related to sundial

How to use sundial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sundial