Sidereal day

Sidereal day
Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 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; -- also called {daytime}. [1913 Webster +PJC]

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. [1913 Webster]

3. Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work. [1913 Webster]

4. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time. [1913 Webster]

A man who was great among the Hellenes of his day. --Jowett (Thucyd. ) [1913 Webster]

If my debtors do not keep their day, . . . I must with patience all the terms attend. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

5. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc. [1913 Webster]

The field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

His name struck fear, his conduct won the day. --Roscommon. [1913 Webster]

Note: Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, workday, etc. [1913 Webster]

{Anniversary day}. See {Anniversary}, n.

{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 under {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 recognized 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}. (Med.) See {Nyctalopia}.

{Day by day}, or {Day after day}, daily; every day; continually; without intermission of a day. See under {By}. ``Day by day we magnify thee.'' --Book of Common Prayer.

{Days in bank} (Eng. Law), certain stated days for the return of writs and the appearance of parties; -- so called because originally peculiar to the Court of Common Bench, or Bench (bank) as it was formerly termed. --Burrill.

{Day in court}, a day for the appearance of parties in a suit.

{Days of devotion} (R. C. Ch.), certain festivals on which devotion leads the faithful to attend mass. --Shipley.

{Days of grace}. See {Grace}.

{Days of obligation} (R. C. Ch.), festival days when it is obligatory on the faithful to attend Mass. --Shipley.

{Day owl}, (Zo["o]l.), an owl that flies by day. See {Hawk owl}.

{Day rule} (Eng. Law), an order of court (now abolished) allowing a prisoner, under certain circumstances, to go beyond the prison limits for a single day.

{Day school}, one which the pupils attend only in daytime, in distinction from a boarding school.

{Day sight}. (Med.) See {Hemeralopia}.

{Day's work} (Naut.), the account or reckoning of a ship's course for twenty-four hours, from noon to noon.

{From day to day}, as time passes; in the course of time; as, he improves from day to day.

{Jewish day}, the time between sunset and sunset.

{Mean solar day} (Astron.), 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.'' --Shak.

{Only from day to day}, without certainty of continuance; temporarily. --Bacon.

{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. --S. Butler.

{Week day}, any day of the week except Sunday; a working day.

{Working day}. (a) A day when work may be legally done, in distinction from Sundays and legal holidays. (b) 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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • sidereal day — Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sidereal day — n. the time between two successive passages of the vernal equinox across the meridian: it measures one rotation of the earth and equals 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.1 seconds of mean solar time …   English World dictionary

  • sidereal day —    a unit of time used in astronomy, equal to the period of time in which the earth makes one rotation relative to the stars. If we could view the earth from outside the Solar System, we would see that it actually completes 366.242 rotations… …   Dictionary of units of measurement

  • sidereal day — The period between two successive transits of a particular meridian on the earth by the first point of Aries or successive transits of the vernal equinox. Because the first point of Aries is not fixed in space and it precesses along the… …   Aviation dictionary

  • sidereal day — A day measured by the transit of certain stars. A day which begins at the noon or middle of the day, in common parlance. 52 Am J1st Time § 14. A mean sidereal day is 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.091 seconds of mean solar time. Rochester German Ins. Co …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • sidereal day — noun the time for one complete rotation of the earth relative to a particular star, about 4 minutes shorter than a mean solar day • Syn: ↑day • Hypernyms: ↑time unit, ↑unit of time, ↑sidereal time …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sidereal Day —    The true rotation period of a planet, determined by the time between appearances of a star in the same place in the sky. Since the rotation of the Earth is gradually slowing down, a day in the past was shorter than now, and in the future it… …   The writer's dictionary of science fiction, fantasy, horror and mythology

  • sidereal day — side′real day′ n. astron. the interval between two successive passages of the vernal equinox over the meridian, being about four minutes shorter than a mean solar day • Etymology: 1785–95 …   From formal English to slang

  • sidereal day — /saɪˌdɪəriəl ˈdeɪ/ (say suy.dearreeuhl day) noun See day (def. 3e) …  

  • sidereal day — Astron. the interval between two successive passages of the vernal equinox over the meridian, being about four minutes shorter than a mean solar day. [1785 95] * * * …   Universalium

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