sundial

[ suhn-dahy-uhl, -dahyl ]
See synonyms for sundial on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. 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.

Origin of sundial

1
First recorded in 1570–80; sun + dial

Words Nearby sundial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sundial in a sentence

  • “This is no time for bad puns,” she answered, dragging me swiftly down through the orchard, and up again to the sundial.

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • Then it whitened the sundial lawn, reminding us to take the wooden dial post in for the winter.

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • Beside, a sundial is not a portable instrument, and Joshua and his men had something more pressing to do than to loiter round it.

    The Astronomy of the Bible | E. Walter Maunder

British Dictionary definitions for sundial

sundial

/ (ˈsʌnˌdaɪəl) /


noun
  1. a device indicating the time during the hours of sunlight by means of a stationary arm (the gnomon) that casts a shadow onto a plate or surface marked in hours

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012