different between dial vs autodialer

English

Etymology

The original meaning was 'sundial' and/or 'clock dial'; from Middle English diall, from Middle French dyal, from Latin di?lis (“daily, concerning the day”), because of its use in telling the time of day, from Latin di?s (“day”). Compare Spanish dial and día (“day”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?da???/
• Rhymes: -a??l
• Hyphenation: di?al

Noun

dial (plural dials)

1. A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).

2. A clock face.
3. A sundial.
4. A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.

5. A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.

6. (Britain, Australia, slang) A person's face. [from 19th c.]
   • 2006, Alexis Wright, Carpentaria, Giramondo 2012, p. 137:

     Old Mona Lisa would have looked like a sour lemon beside Angel Day on the rare days she put a smile on her dial, laughing with her friends when some new man was in town.

7. A miner's compass.

Translations

Verb

dial (third-person singular simple present dials, present participle (US) dialing or dialling, simple past and past participle (US) dialed or dialled)

1. (transitive) To control or select something with a dial, or (figuratively) as if with a dial.

2. (transitive) To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone.

3. (intransitive) To use a dial or a telephone.

Usage notes

• Dialing and dialed are more common in the US. Dialling and dialled are more common elsewhere.

Derived terms

Related terms

• dial in
• dial tone

Translations

Anagrams

• Dail, Dali, Dalí, dali, laid

Spanish

Noun

dial m (plural diales)

1. dial

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh dial, from Old Welsh digal, from Proto-Brythonic *di?al, from Proto-Celtic *d?-gal?. Cognate with Cornish dyal and Old Irish dígal.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /?d?.al/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /?di?.al/, /?di.al/

Noun

dial m (plural dialau or dialon)

1. revenge

Mutation

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present) , “dial”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

English

Alternative forms

• autodialler (British)

Etymology

auto- +? dialer

Noun

autodialer (plural autodialers)

1. an electronic device that can automatically dial telephone numbers to communicate between any two points in the telephone, mobile phone and pager networks
2. (computing) malicious software, embedded in a website, that routes dial-up Internet connections to a different telephone number charged at a premium rate