Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Diurnal
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
Their fiery torcher his
diurnal
ring. Shakespeare
3.
(Bot.)
Opening during the day, and closing at night; – said of flowers or leaves.
4.
(Zool.)
Active by day; – applied especially to the eagles and hawks among raptorial birds, and to butterflies (Diurna) among insects.
Syn. – See
Daily
. 1.
A daybook; a journal.
[Obs.]
Tatler.
2.
(R. C. Ch.)
A small volume containing the daily service for the “little hours,” viz., prime, tierce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline.
3.
(Zool.)
A diurnal bird or insect.
Webster 1828 Edition
Diurnal
DIURNAL
,Adj.
1.
Relating to a day; pertaining to the daytime; as diurnal heat; diurnal hours.2.
Daily; happening every day; performed in a day; as a diurnal task.3.
Performed in 24 hours; as the diurnal revolution of the earth.4.
In medicine, an epithet of diseases whose exacerbations are in the day time; as a diurnal fever.DIURNAL
,Noun.
Definition 2024
diurnal
diurnal
English
Adjective
diurnal (comparative more diurnal, superlative most diurnal)
- Happening or occurring during daylight, or primarily active during that time.
- Most birds are diurnal.
- 1972, Laurence Monroe Klauber, Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind, Volume 1
- However, in general, lizards are more diurnal than rattlers, which may be one of the reasons why young rattlers are more diurnal than adults.
- Shakespeare
- Ere twice the horses of the sun shall bring / Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring.
- (botany) Said of a flower open, or releasing its perfume during daylight hours, but not at night.
- Having a daily cycle that is completed every 24 hours, usually referring to tasks, processes, tides, or sunrise to sunset; circadian.
- (uncommon) Done once every day; daily, quotidian.
- (archaic) Published daily.
Quotations
- For usage examples of this term, see Citations:diurnal.
Synonyms
- (having a daily cycle): circadian (biology)
Antonyms
Derived terms
Terms derived from diurnal
Coordinate terms
- (active or open during the day): crepuscular
Translations
happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
|
botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day
having a daily cycle
|
done once every day
|
Noun
diurnal (plural diurnals)
- A flower that opens only in the day.
- (Catholicism) A book containing canonical offices performed during the day, hence not matins.
- (archaic) A diary or journal.
- (archaic) A daily news publication.
Translations
A flower that opens during the day