| day | 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the time between sunrise and sunset, or from dawn to darkness; hence, the light; sunshine. 2. The period of the earth's revolution on its axis. Ordinarily divided into twenty-four hours. It is measured by the interval between two successive transits of a celestial body over the same meridian, and takes a specific name from that of the body. Thus, if this is the sun, the day (the interval between two successive transits of the sun's center over the same meridian) is called a solar day; if it is a star, a sidereal day; if it is the moon, a lunar day. See Civil day, Sidereal day, below. 3. Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work. 4. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time. "A man who was great among the Hellenes of his day." (Jowett (Thucyd)) "If my debtors do not keep their day, . . . I must with patience all the terms attend." (Dryden) 5. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc. "The field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus." (Shak) "His name struck fear, his conduct won the day." (Roscommon) Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, workday, etc. Anniversary day. See Anniversary, Astronomical day, a period equal to the mean solar day, but beginning at noon instead of at midnight, its twenty-four hours being numbered from 1 to 24; also, the sidereal day, as that most used by astronomers. Born days. See Born. Canicular days. See Dog day. Civil day, the mean solar day, used in the ordinary reckoning of time, and among most modern nations beginning at mean midnight; its hours are usually numbered in two series, each from 1 to 12. This is the period recognised by courts as constituting a day. The Babylonians and Hindoos began their day at sunrise, the Athenians and Jews at sunset, the ancient Egyptians and Romans at midnight. Day blindness. The mean or average of all the apparent solar days of the year. One day, One of these days, at an uncertain time, usually of the future, rarely of the past; sooner or later. "Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband." . Only from day to day, without certainty of continuance; temporarily. Sidereal day, the interval between two successive transits of the first point of Aries over the same meridian. The Sidereal day is 23 h. 56 m. 4.09 s. Of mean solar time. To win the day, to gain the victory, to be successful. Week day, any day of the week except Sunday; a working day. Working day. A day when work may be legally done, in distinction from Sundays and legal holidays. The number of hours, determined by law or custom, during which a workman, hired at a stated price per day, must work to be entitled to a day's pay. Origin: OE. Day, dai, dei, AS. Daeg; akin to OS, D, Dan, & Sw. Dag, G, tag, Icel. Dagr, Goth. Dags; cf. Skr. Dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. 69. Cf. Dawn. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| day blindness | <ophthalmology> Day blindness, defective vision in a bright light. Origin: Gr. Hemera = day, alaos = blind (18 Nov 1997) |
| day care | Institutional health care of patients during the day. The patients return home at night. (12 Dec 1998) |
| day-coal | <chemical> The upper stratum of coal, as nearest the light or surface. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| day hospital | A special facility, or an arrangement within a hospital setting, that enables the patient to come to the hospital for treatment during the day and return home or to another facility at night. Compare: night hospital. (05 Mar 2000) |
| day lily | <botany> A genus of plants (Hemerocallis) closely resembling true lilies, but having tuberous rootstocks instead of bulbs. The common species have long narrow leaves and either yellow or tawny-orange flowers. A genus of plants (Funkia) differing from the last in having ovate veiny leaves, and large white or blue flowers. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| day neutral plant | <botany> Plants that flower regardless of day length. (09 Oct 1997) |
| day residue | Psychoanalytic term for a dream related to an experience of the previous day. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Day, Richard | <person> U.S. Physician, 1813-1892. See: Day's test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Day, Richard L | <person> U.S. Paediatrician, *1905. See: Riley-Day syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| day-star | 1. The morning star; the star which ushers in the day. "A dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts." (2 Peter i. 19) 2. The sun, as the orb of day. "So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed, And yet anon repairs his drooping head, And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore Flames in the forehead of the morning sky." (Milton) Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Day's test | A test for blood by adding to the suspected fluid, or the washing of a suspected stain, tincture of guaiac and then hydrogen peroxide; the presence of blood results in a blue colour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| three-day fever | Influenza-like febrile viral disease caused by several members of the bunyaviridae family and transmitted mostly by the bloodsucking sandfly phlebotomus papatasii. (12 Dec 1998) |
| three-day measles | <disease, virology> An acute, usually benign, infectious disease caused by a togavirus and most often affecting children and nonimmune young adults, in which the virus enters the respiratory tract via droplet nuclei and spreads to the lymphatic system. It is characterised by a slight cold, sore throat and fever, followed by enlargement of the postauricular, suboccipital and cervical lymph nodes and the appearances of a fine pink rash that begins on the head and spreads to become generalised. Synonym: German measles, rubeola. Origin: L. Rubellus = reddish, ruber = red (17 Dec 1997) |
| fever, five-day | See Fever, trench. (12 Dec 1998) |