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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
"During my acquaintance with him in the City of Diurnal Night I had never known his views on life, romance, literature, and ethics."
For many years Pittsburg's massive consumption of coal in its industries sent enough soot into the area to almost turn day into night. Webster's 1913 Dictionary Definition: \Di*ur"nal\, a. [L. diurnalis, fr. dies day. See {Deity}, and cf. {Journal}.] 1. Relating to the daytime; belonging to the period of daylight, distinguished from the night; -- opposed to {nocturnal}; as, diurnal heat; diurnal hours.
2. Daily; recurring every day; performed in a day; going through its changes in a day; constituting the measure of a day; as, a diurnal fever; a diurnal task; diurnal aberration, or diurnal parallax; the diurnal revolution of the earth.
Ere twice the horses of the sun shall bring Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring. --Shak.
3. (Bot.) Opening during the day, and closing at night; -- said of flowers or leaves.
4. (Zo["o]l.) Active by day; -- applied especially to the eagles and hawks among raptorial birds, and to butterflies (Diurna) among insects.
{Diurnal aberration} (Anat.), the aberration of light arising from the effect of the earth's rotation upon the apparent direction of motion of light.
{Diurnal arc}, the arc described by the sun during the daytime or while above the horizon; hence, the arc described by the moon or a star from rising to setting.
{Diurnal circle}, the apparent circle described by a celestial body in consequence of the earth's rotation.
{Diurnal motion of the earth}, the motion of the earth upon its axis which is described in twenty-four hours.
{Diurnal motion of a heavenly body}, that apparent motion of the heavenly body which is due to the earth's diurnal motion.
{Diurnal parallax}. See under {Parallax}.
{Diurnal revolution of a planet}, the motion of the planet upon its own axis which constitutes one complete revolution.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
It is sometimes interesting that we have so many words--so many synonyms and nuances--of common words, such as love and hate, yet so few words for other common concepts.
I haven't hit a synonym finder yet, but the idea of 'daily' is certainly very, very common, yet are there many words that are synonymous with it? Yes, diurnal, 'day by day,' and 'day-in, day-out' (sort of)...
What others might there be?
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