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dice

 - 13 dictionary results

dice

   [dahys] plural noun,singulardie, verb,diced, dic·ing.
–noun
1.
small cubes of plastic, ivory, bone, or wood, marked on each side with one to six spots, usually used in pairs in games of chance or in gambling.
2.
poker dice.
3.
any of various games, esp. gambling games, played by shaking and throwing from two to six dice or poker dice onto a flat surface. Compare craps.
4.
any small cubes.
5.
Auto Racing. a jockeying for lead position between two or more drivers in which tactics are used to pass or keep from being passed.
–verb (used with object)
6.
to cut into small cubes.
7.
to decorate with cubelike figures.
8.
to lose by gambling with dice (often fol. by away).
–verb (used without object)
9.
to play at dice.
10.
to cause or bring about by gambling with dice.
11.
Auto Racing. to duel with another car or cars in a dice.
—Idiom
12.
no dice, Informal. of no use or help; ineffective.
Use dice in a Sentence
Origin:
1300–50; ME dees, dis, dyce (sing. and pl.), dyces (pl.) < OF de(i)z, dés (pl.); see die2

—Related forms
dicer, noun

—Can be confused: dice, die, dye.

die

2   [dahy] noun,pluraldies for 1, 2, 4, dice for 3; verb,died, die·ing.
–noun
1.
Machinery.
a.
any of various devices for cutting or forming material in a press or a stamping or forging machine.
b.
a hollow device of steel, often composed of several pieces to be fitted into a stock, for cutting the threads of bolts or the like.
c.
one of the separate pieces of such a device.
d.
a steel block or plate with small conical holes through which wire, plastic rods, etc., are drawn.
2.
an engraved stamp for impressing a design upon some softer material, as in coining money.
3.
sing. of dice.
4.
Architecture. dado (def. 1).
–verb (used with object)
5.
to impress, shape, or cut with a die.
—Idiom
6.
the die is cast, the irrevocable decision has been made; fate has taken charge: The die is cast—I can't turn back.
Origin:
1300–50; ME de (in early modern E taking the vowel of the pl. form dice) < OF de(i), presumbly < L datum given (neut. ptp. of dare to give), perh. in the deriv. sense “put, placed,” hence “played, cast”

da·do

   [dey-doh] noun,plural-does, -dos, verb
–noun
1.
Also called die. Architecture. the part of a pedestal between the base and the cornice or cap.
2.
the lower broad part of an interior wall finished in wallpaper, a fabric, paint, etc.
3.
Carpentry. a groove or rectangular section for receiving the end of a board.
–verb (used with object)
4.
to provide with a dado.
—Verb phrase
5.
dado in, to insert (a board or the like) into a dado.
Origin:
1655–65; < It: die, cube, pedestal, perh. < Ar dad game
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Word Origin & History

dice
early 14c., des, dys, plural of dy (see die (n.)), altered 14c. to dyse, dyce, and 15c. to dice. "As in pence, the plural s retains its original breath sound, probably because these words were not felt as ordinary plurals, but as collective words" [OED]. Sometimes used as singular 1400-1700. The verb "to cut into cubes" is first recorded late 14c. Related: Diced.

die
early 14c. (as a plural), from O.Fr. de, of uncertain origin, perhaps from L. datum "given," pp. of dare (see date (1)), which, in addition to "give," had a secondary sense of "to play" (as a chess piece); or else from "what is given" (by chance or Fortune). Sense of "stamping block or tool" first recorded 1690s.

dado
1660s, of pedestals, from It. dado "die, cube," from L. datum (see die (n.)). Of wood panelling in a room, from 1787.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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dice   (dīs)   
n.  

  1. Plural of die2.

  2. pl. dice also dices

    1. A small cube, as of food.

    2. A dish of diced food.

v.   diced, dic·ing, dic·es

v.   intr.
To play or gamble with dice.
v.   tr.

  1. To win or lose (money) by gambling with dice.

  2. To cut (food) into small cubes.

  3. To decorate with dicelike figures.


[Pl. of die2.]
die 2   (dī)   
n.   pl. dies or dice (dīs)

  1. pl. dies A device used for cutting out, forming, or stamping material, especially:

    1. An engraved metal piece used for impressing a design onto a softer metal, as in coining money.

    2. One of several component pieces that are fitted into a diestock to cut threads on screws or bolts.

    3. A part on a machine that punches shaped holes in, cuts, or forms sheet metal, cardboard, or other stock.

    4. A metal block containing small conical holes through which plastic, metal, or other ductile material is extruded or drawn.

    5. A small cube marked on each side with from one to six dots, usually used in pairs in gambling and in various other games.

    6. dice (used with a sing. verb) A game of chance using dice.

  2. pl. dies Architecture The dado of a pedestal, especially when cube-shaped.

  3. pl. dice

    1. A small cube marked on each side with from one to six dots, usually used in pairs in gambling and in various other games.

    2. dice (used with a sing. verb) A game of chance using dice.

tr.v.   died, die·ing, dies
To cut, form, or stamp with or as if with a die.

[Middle English de, gaming die, from Old French, from Latin datum, given, from neuter past participle of dare, to give; see dō- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2die
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural dies /'dIz/
: any of various tools or devices for imparting a desiredshape, form, or finish to a material or for impressing an object or material
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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die (dī)
v. died, dy·ing (dī'ĭng), dies

  1. To cease living; become dead; expire.

  2. To cease existing, especially by degrees; fade.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary
die

  1. in.
    to “perish” (figuratively) from laughter or some other emotionally intense response. : The whole audience died laughing.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
DICE
data integration and collection environment
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

dice

see load the dice; no deal (dice).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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