sundial
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.
sundials
-
pluralof sundial.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cross the orbit of 6446 Lomberg, the asteroid named in honor of his contributions to science, and sail by Mars, where the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers bear sundials he helped design.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
For instance, Grant County operated entirely by a system of sundials and groundhogs; in Pulaski County it was just 7:45 p.m. all the time.
From Golf Digest ● Nov. 2, 2017
This is the kind of time indicated by sundials, and it probably represents the earliest measure of time used by ancient civilizations.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
Ingenious inventors devised sundials, which indicate time by the length or direction of the sun’s shadow, to track temporal hours during the day.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2011
They did not have mechanical clocks, but they had sundials and water clocks.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
