noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S AH1 N D AY2 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A device measuring the time of day by the position of a shadow cast by a pole or plate (gnomon) upon an engraved series of marks.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The birdbath includes a small gnomon that acts as a sundial with markings on the basin if it's aligned correctly with the sun.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A sea snail of the genus Heliacus.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
timepiece that indicates the daylight hours by the shadow that the gnomon casts on a calibrated dial
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: timepiece, timekeeper, horologe
History
Etymology
From sun + dial, a clarification of dial after it was used for other objects as well.
Across languages
Translations
98 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
sonwyzer
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Albanian:
orë diellore
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Arabic:
مِزْوَلَة
(mizwala)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Armenian:
արեւի ժամացույց
(arewi žamacʻuycʻ)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Asturian:
reló de Sol
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Azerbaijani:
günəş saatı
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Basque:
eguzki erloju
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Belarusian:
со́нечны гадзі́ннік
(sónječny hadzínnik)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Bengali:
সূর্যঘড়ি
(śurjoghoṛi)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Breton:
horolaj-heol
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Bulgarian:
слъ́нчев часо́вник
(slǎ́nčev časóvnik)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Burmese:
နေ နာရီ
(ne nari)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Catalan:
rellotge de sol
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Chinese Mandarin:
日晷
(rìguǐ)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Chinese Mandarin:
日規 /日规
(rìguī)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Corsican:
meridiana
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Corsican:
miridiana
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Czech:
sluneční hodiny
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Danish:
solur
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Dutch:
zonnewijzer
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Esperanto:
sunhorloĝo
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Estonian:
päikesekell
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Faroese:
sólur
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Finnish:
aurinkokello
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
French:
cadran solaire
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Galician:
reloxo de sol
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Georgian:
მზის საათი
(mzis saati)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
German:
Sonnenuhr
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Greek:
ηλιακό ρολόι
(iliakó rolói)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Hebrew:
שעון שמש
(sh'ón shémesh)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Hindi:
सौर-घड़ी
(saur-ghaṛī)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Hindi:
धूपघड़ी
(dhūpghaṛī)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Hungarian:
napóra
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Icelandic:
sólúr
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Ido:
sunohorlojo
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Indonesian:
jam matahari
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Irish:
clog gréine
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Italian:
meridiana
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Italian:
orologio solare
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Italian:
gnomone
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Italian:
eliotropio
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Japanese:
日時計
(hidokei)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Kazakh:
күн сағаттары
(kün sağattary)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Khmer:
នាឡិកាព្រះអាទិត្យ
(niele’kaa preah aatɨt)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Korean:
해시계
(haesigye)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Lao:
ນາລິກາແດດ
(nā li kā dǣt)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Latin:
sōlārium hōrologium
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Latin:
sōlārium
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Latvian:
saules pulkstenis
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Ligurian:
relêuio a sô
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Lithuanian:
saulės laikrodis
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Macedonian:
сончев часовник
(sončev časovnik)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Malay:
jam matahari
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Malayalam:
സൂര്യഘടികാരം
(sūryaghaṭikāraṁ)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Māori:
karaka ātārangi
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Norwegian Bokmål:
solur
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Norwegian Nynorsk:
solur
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Occitan:
mòstra de solelh
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Old English:
sōlmerca
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Old English:
dæġmǣl
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Persian:
ساعت آفتابی
(sâ'at-e âftâbi)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Plautdietsch:
Sonnenklock
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Polish:
zegar słoneczny
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Portuguese:
relógio de sol
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Portuguese:
relógio do sol
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Portuguese:
relógio solar
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Portuguese:
solário
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Romanian:
ceas solar
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Romanian:
cadran solar
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Russian:
со́лнечные часы́
(sólnečnyje časý)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Scottish Gaelic:
uaireadair-grèine
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Serbo-Croatian:
сунчаник
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Serbo-Croatian:
сунчани сат
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Serbo-Croatian:
сунчани часовник
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Serbo-Croatian:
sunčanik
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Serbo-Croatian:
sunčani sat
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Serbo-Croatian:
sunčani časovnik
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Sicilian:
miridiana
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Slovak:
slnečné hodiny
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Slovene:
sónčna úra
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Spanish:
reloj solar
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Spanish:
reloj de sol
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Swahili:
bonyeza
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Swedish:
solur
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Tagalog:
oras-araw
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Tagalog:
kuwadrante
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Tamil:
சூரிய மணிகாட்டி
(cūriya maṇikāṭṭi)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Telugu:
నీడగడియారము
(nīḍagaḍiyāramu)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Telugu:
సూర్యఘంట
(sūryaghaṇṭa)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Thai:
นาฬิกาแดด
(naa-lí-gaa-dɛ̀ɛt)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Turkish:
güneş saati
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Ottoman Turkish:
گونش ساعتی
(güneş saʾati)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Ukrainian:
со́нячний годи́нник
(sónjačnyj hodýnnyk)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Vietnamese:
đồng hồ mặt trời
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Volapük:
solaglok
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Walloon:
cwadran solaire
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Welsh:
deial haul
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow
Yiddish:
זון־זײגער
(zun-zeyger)
— device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow