day

[dey] /deɪ/
noun
1.
the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset:
Since there was no artificial illumination, all activities had to be carried on during the day.
2.
the light of day; daylight:
The owl sleeps by day and feeds by night.
3.
Astronomy.
  1. Also called mean solar day. a division of time equal to 24 hours and representing the average length of the period during which the earth makes one rotation on its axis.
  2. Also called solar day. a division of time equal to the time elapsed between two consecutive returns of the same terrestrial meridian to the sun.
  3. Also called civil day. a division of time equal to 24 hours but reckoned from one midnight to the next.
    Compare lunar day, sidereal day.
4.
an analogous division of time for a planet other than the earth:
the Martian day.
5.
the portion of a day allotted to work:
an eight-hour day.
6.
a day on which something occurs:
the day we met.
7.
(often initial capital letter) a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance:
New Year's Day.
8.
a time considered as propitious or opportune:
His day will come.
9.
a day of contest or the contest itself:
to win the day.
10.
Often, days. a particular time or period:
the present day; in days of old.
11.
Usually, days. period of life or activity:
His days are numbered.
12.
period of existence, power, or influence:
in the day of the dinosaurs.
13.
light1 (def 19a).
Idioms
14.
call it a day, to stop one's activity for the day or for the present; quit temporarily:
After rewriting the paper, she decided to call it a day.
15.
day in, day out, every day without fail; regularly:
They endured the noise and dirt of the city day in, day out.
Also, day in and day out.
Origin
before 950; Middle English; Old English dæg; cognate with German Tag
Related forms
half-day, noun
preday, noun

Day

[dey] /deɪ/
noun
1.
Benjamin Henry, 1810–89, U.S. newspaper publisher.
2.
Clarence (Shepard)
[shep-erd] /ˈʃɛp ərd/ (Show IPA), 1874–1935, U.S. author.
3.
Dorothy, 1897–1980, U.S. Roman Catholic social activist, journalist, and publisher.
4.
Also, Daye. Stephen, 1594?–1668, U.S. colonist, born in England: considered the first printer in the Colonies.
Examples from the web for day
  • If it never sees the light of day again, offshore processing seems doomed.
  • Many departments invite guest speakers to give a talk and spend a day or two visiting as part of a seminar series.
  • Students complained of the long commutes to and from the campus, which averaged two to three hours a day, round-trip.
  • The standard horsecar, which seated twenty, was drawn by a pair of roans and ran sixteen hours a day.
  • There are plenty of things to do in the neighborhood, despite the gray day.
  • Gazillion bio-children are abused, neglected and abandoned every day.
  • There's no better way to start a day than with a jaunt by the sea.
  • So they took one snapshot of data and called it a day.
  • Warm up game day with great, easy-to-transport tailgating recipes.
  • And the number of posts per day fluctuates, but doesn't seem to have been rising on average over the last couple of weeks.
British Dictionary definitions for day

day

/deɪ/
noun
1.
Also called civil day. the period of time, the calendar day, of 24 hours' duration reckoned from one midnight to the next
2.
  1. the period of light between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from the night
  2. (as modifier): the day shift
3.
the part of a day occupied with regular activity, esp work: he took a day off
4.
(sometimes pl) a period or point in time: he was a good singer in his day, in days gone by, any day now
5.
the period of time, the sidereal day, during which the earth makes one complete revolution on its axis relative to a particular star. The mean sidereal day lasts 23 hours 56 minutes 4.1 seconds of the mean solar day
6.
the period of time, the solar day, during which the earth makes one complete revolution on its axis relative to the sun. The mean solar day is the average length of the apparent solar day and is some four minutes (3 minutes 56.5 seconds of sidereal time) longer than the sidereal day
7.
the period of time taken by a specified planet to make one complete rotation on its axis: the Martian day
8.
(often capital) a day designated for a special observance, esp a holiday: Christmas Day
9.
all in a day's work, part of one's normal activity; no trouble
10.
at the end of the day, in the final reckoning
11.
day of rest, the Sabbath; Sunday
12.
end one's days, to pass the end of one's life
13.
every dog has his day, one's luck will come
14.
in this day and age, nowadays
15.
it's early days, it's too early to tell how things will turn out
16.
late in the day
  1. very late (in a particular situation)
  2. too late
17.
that will be the day
  1. I look forward to that
  2. that is most unlikely to happen
18.
a time of success, recognition, power, etc: his day will soon come
19.
a struggle or issue at hand: the day is lost
20.
  1. the ground surface over a mine
  2. (as modifier): the day level
21.
from day to day, without thinking of the future
22.
call it a day, to stop work or other activity
23.
day after day, without respite; relentlessly
24.
day by day, gradually or progressively; daily: he weakened day by day
25.
day in, day out, every day and all day long
26.
from Day 1, from Day One, from the very beginning
27.
one of these days, at some future time
28.
(modifier) of, relating to, or occurring in the day: the day shift
See also days
related
adjective diurnal
Word Origin
Old English dæg; related to Old High German tag, Old Norse dagr

Day

/deɪ/
noun
1.
Sir Robin. 1923–2000, British radio and television journalist, noted esp for his political interviews
Word Origin and History for day
n.

Old English dæg "day," also "lifetime," from Proto-Germanic *dagaz (cf. Old Saxon, Middle Dutch, Dutch dag, Old Frisian dei, Old High German tag, German Tag, Old Norse dagr, Gothic dags), from PIE *dhegh-.

Not considered to be related to Latin dies (see diurnal), but rather to Sanskrit dah "to burn," Lithuanian dagas "hot season," Old Prussian dagis "summer." Meaning originally, in English, "the daylight hours;" expanded to mean "the 24-hour period" in late Anglo-Saxon times. Day off first recorded 1883; day-tripper first recorded 1897. The days in nowadays, etc. is a relic of the Old English and Middle English use of the adverbial genitive.

day in Science
day
(dā)
See under sidereal time, solar day.

Slang definitions & phrases for day

day

Related Terms

have a field day, make my day, ninety-day wonder, not give someone the time of day, red-letter day


Related Abbreviations for day

DAY

James M. Cox Dayton [OH] International Airport
day in the Bible

The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps. 55:17). "The heat of the day" (1 Sam. 11:11; Neh. 7:3) was at our nine o'clock, and "the cool of the day" just before sunset (Gen. 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (Lam. 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Judg. 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex. 14:24). In the New Testament the division of the Greeks and Romans into four watches was adopted (Mark 13:35). (See WATCHES.) The division of the day by hours is first mentioned in Dan. 3:6, 15; 4:19; 5:5. This mode of reckoning was borrowed from the Chaldeans. The reckoning of twelve hours was from sunrise to sunset, and accordingly the hours were of variable length (John 11:9). The word "day" sometimes signifies an indefinite time (Gen. 2:4; Isa. 22:5; Heb. 3:8, etc.). In Job 3:1 it denotes a birthday, and in Isa. 2:12, Acts 17:31, and 2 Tim. 1:18, the great day of final judgment.

Idioms and Phrases with day

day

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