dial

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A graduated surface or face on which a measurement, such as speed, is indicated by a moving needle or pointer.
• noun The face of a clock.
• noun A sundial.
• noun The panel or face on a radio or television receiver on which the frequencies or channels are indicated.
• noun A movable control knob or other device on a radio or television receiver used to change the frequency.
• noun A rotatable disk on a telephone with numbers and letters, used to signal the number to which a call is made.
• intransitive verb To measure with or as if with a dial.
• intransitive verb To point to, indicate, or register by means of a dial.
• intransitive verb To control or select by means of a dial.
• intransitive verb To call (a party) on a telephone.
• intransitive verb To signal (a number) in making a telephone call.
• intransitive verb To use a dial.
• intransitive verb To use a telephone.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun An abbreviation of dialect
• noun of dialectal, dialectic, or dialectical.
• noun The commercial name for the best grade of kaurigum.
• To measure with or as if with a dial; indicate upon or as if upon a dial.
• In mining, to survey with the aid of the dial or miners' compass, as a mine or underground workings.
• noun An instrument for indicating the hour of the day by means of a shadow thrown upon a graduated surface. For dials with a style or gnomon, see sun-dial; for portable dials, see ring-dial, poke-dial, and solarium.
• noun The face of a clock or watch, upon which the hours and minutes are marked, and over which the hands move.
• noun Hence A timepiece of any kind; a clock or watch.
• noun Any plate or face on which a pointer or an index moves, marking revolutions, pressure, etc., according to the nature of the machinery of which it forms part: as, the dial of a steamgage, gas-meter, or telegraphic instrument.
• noun In telegraphy and horology, an insulated stationary wheel exhibiting upon its face letters, numerals, or other characters.
• noun The lettered or numbered face-plate of a permutation-lock.
• noun A mariners' compass.
• noun In mining, a compass or graduated circle with a magnetic needle, arranged for underground surveying where great accuracy is not required. [Eng.]
• noun A lapidaries' instrument for holding a gem while it is being cut. It carries the dot to which the gem is directly fixed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun An instrument, formerly much used for showing the time of day from the shadow of a style or gnomon on a graduated arc or surface; esp., a sundial; but there are lunar and astral dials. The style or gnomon is usually parallel to the earth's axis, but the dial plate may be either horizontal or vertical.
• noun The graduated face of a timepiece, on which the time of day is shown by pointers or hands.
• noun A miner's compass.
• noun (Zoöl.) an Indian bird (Copsychus saularius), allied to the European robin. The name is also given to other related species.
• noun a lock provided with one or more plates having numbers or letters upon them. These plates must be adjusted in a certain determined way before the lock can be operated.
• noun the plane or disk of a dial or timepiece on which lines and figures for indicating the time are placed.
• transitive verb To measure with a dial.
• transitive verb (Mining) To survey with a dial.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
• noun A clock face.
• noun A sundial.
• noun A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.
• noun A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.
• noun UK, dated A person's face.
• verb transitive To measure or indicate something with a dial.
• verb transitive To control or select something with a dial
• verb transitive To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone.
• verb intransitive To use a dial or a telephone.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the circular graduated indicator on various measuring instruments