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sundial

sundial

11 4.9
A tool that tells the time during the day using a shadow on a marked surface
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌnˌdaɪl/
translation icon : reloj de sol
  • Unless one lives on the North Pole, a sundial must be tilted.
  • an accurate sundial
  • construct an accurate sundial
  • make a sundial

Examples

  • The Egyptians may have been the first to use sundials (though ancient Chinese devices are a close contender).

    Academic text (2004)
  • I allowed the students to check on their sundial several times during the day.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The first clock invented was the sundial. Later, the water clock was developed in China.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The students were now ready to place their sundials and to tell time with them.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Remnants of sundials and bronze sculptures reveal the artistic and intellectual side of life in the city.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The old garden featured a beautiful sundial that indicated the time using shadows.

  • She used the sundial to learn about how time was measured in ancient civilizations.

  • He enjoyed watching the shadow move across the sundial as the sun rose and set.

Compounds

sundial lupine
  • Specialized
9.6

A strong, long-lived flowering plant with blue flowers that grows in eastern and central North America

How Accurate

atomic clock
  • Specialized
5 4.3
clock
1.0
hourglass
20 4.1
sundial
11 4.9

Surface Forms

sundial singular
sundials plural

Morphology

sundial = sun + dial (transparent) = sun + dial

The meaning is directly derivable from the clear combination of 'sun' and 'dial' (a device using the sun to show time).

Etymology

The word sundial is simply sun + dial, and dial is the same word you see on a clock, a 'marked face' for telling time. Picture a stick making a shadow on that face: a sundial is literally a 'sun' dial, a way to read the time from the sun's shadow.