Dial Comes From the Latin Word for Day
A dial is a marked face for reading a measurement. The first one was a sundial.
A dial is a marked face on which a pointer indicates a measurement. The word comes from medieval Latin *diale*, from *dies*, a day — the original dial was a sundial, which told the time by the day's own light. Every later dial, on a clock, a gauge or a radio, inherits that name. *To dial* a telephone is now historically odd: the rotating dial vanished decades ago, but the verb survived the device it described.
- A measuring face. *A clock dial.*
- A sundial. *A garden dial.*
- To make a call. *Dial the number.*
- Dial back — reduce. *Dial it back.*
- Latin — *dies*, a day. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dial | A dial. |
| Plural | dials | Dials. |
| Verb | dial | Dialling. |
| Compound | sundial | A sundial. |
| Latin | dies | A day. |
- The dial showed full pressure.Gauge.
- A sundial stood in the garden.Time.
- Dial the number again.Telephone.
Verbs that outlived their devices
- Dial — telephones lost their rotating dials decades ago
- Hang up — from replacing an earpiece on a hook
- Roll down the window — cars use buttons now
- Tape — used for any recording, long after magnetic tape
- Cut and paste — named for scissors and glue on paper
Medieval Latin *diale*, a clock dial, from Latin *dies*, a day.
Why is a dial named after the word for day?
Because the first dial was a sundial, which measured time by the day's own light. Later dials inherited the name.
Why do we still say dial a number?
The verb outlived the rotating dial. English keeps several such verbs, including hang up and roll down the window.