English
dial
Dial comes from Latin diālis ‘daily, concerning the day’, from Proto-Italic *djous ‘sky’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dyew-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyew-‘sky, heaven’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyḗws‘sky, heaven’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*djous‘sky’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiēs‘day’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiālis‘daily, concerning the day’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600dyal
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diall‘a pointer on a dial’
- Englishearliest quotation 1918dial
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyew-‘sky, heaven’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyḗws‘sky, heaven’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*djous‘sky’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiēs‘day’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiālis‘daily, concerning the day’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600dyal
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diall‘a pointer on a dial’
- Englishearliest quotation 1918dial
Earliest quotation: 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding: “Well, all I can say is that if yer…”
The story
The original meaning was 'sundial' and/or 'clock dial'; from Middle English diall, from Middle French dyal, from Latin diālis (‘daily, concerning the day’), because of its use in telling the time of day, from Latin diēs (‘day’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dyew- ‘sky, heaven’
divine, dev, deity, divinity, joss, diva, deuce, div, deva, divination, deism, jovial, deist, deification, 29 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dyḗws ‘sky, heaven’
through Latin diēs ‘day’
journey, die, journal, diary, meridian, sojourn, diurnal, 12 more
Today it means
noun A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dyew- / dial