# day

Pronunciation: say "DAY" /deɪ/

## Noun

1. A period of 24 hours, usually counted from one midnight to the next, as a unit of time or a single date on the calendar.
   - Simple: A period of 24 hours, usually from midnight to midnight, or one date on the calendar.
   - _In the Jewish calendar, each day starts at nightfall rather than midnight._
   - _Banks record transactions according to the calendar day on which they occur._
2. The hours when the Sun is above the horizon and lights up the sky.
   - Simple: The time when the sun is up and the sky is light.
   - _Workers cleared the rubble by day and rested at night._
   - _The hikers reached the summit before day faded into evening._
3. A particular period of time, especially one tied to when a person or thing existed or was at its height.
   - Simple: A time in the past or future when someone or something is important or active.
   - _Steam trains were the fastest transport of their day._
   - _In his day, the old champion could beat anyone in the ring._
4. A day set aside for a particular purpose, activity or observance, such as a yearly holiday, an election or a house move.
   - Simple: A day kept for a special event, activity or celebration, such as a holiday or moving day.
   - _Many countries set aside a day each year to honor their workers._
   - _On Earth Day, volunteers planted hundreds of saplings in the park._
5. The portion of a day spent at one's job, school, or similar activity.
   - Simple: The hours you spend at work or school.
   - _He works a ten-hour day at the warehouse, four days a week._
   - _By the end of the day, the teacher was hoarse from explaining fractions._
6. The time a planet, especially the Earth, takes to turn once on its axis, measured against the Sun (a solar day, about 24 hours) or the stars (a sidereal day).
   - Simple: The time a planet takes to spin around once. On Earth, it is about 24 hours.
   - _Mars has a day only slightly longer than Earth's._
   - _Venus has the longest day of any planet in the solar system._
7. A struggle or contest lasting a day or less, viewed as something to be won or lost.
   - Simple: A fight or contest, seen as something to be won or lost.
   - _Fresh reserves arriving at dusk finally won the day for the defenders._
   - _In the debate, her sharpest point carried the day._

## Verb

8. To spend a day in a particular place. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To stay somewhere for a day.

## Origin

Proto-Germanic *dagaz became Proto-West Germanic *dag, then Old English dæġ and Middle English day, which passed down to modern English. Latin diēs, Russian день, and Lithuanian dienà look similar but are false cognates, since they come from another Proto-Indo-European root, *dyew- ("to shine").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/day (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).