# dice

Pronunciation: say "DYS" /daɪs/

## Noun

1. Plural of die: small objects with marked faces, usually cubes, rolled in games to produce random results. — plural of die
   - Simple: Plural of die: small objects with marked sides, usually cubes, that you roll in games.
   - _The dice landed showing a five and a three._
   - _Players take turns throwing the dice._
3. Food, especially vegetables, that has been cut into small cubes.
   - Simple: Food that has been cut into small cubes.
   - _For this salsa, keep the dice small so every bite gets a little of everything._
   - _A small dice of carrot, celery, and onion is the base of many soups._
4. The playing of games of chance using one or more small numbered cubes.
   - Simple: Games that you play by rolling small numbered cubes.
   - _The sailors gambled at dice below deck during the long voyage._
   - _She won a small fortune at dice that evening._

## Verb

2. To cut something into small cubes.
   - Simple: To cut food into small square pieces.
   - _Dice the potatoes into even cubes before roasting them._
   - _The chef diced the peppers with quick, practiced strokes._
5. To gamble using one or more small numbered cubes.
   - Simple: To play gambling games by rolling small numbered cubes.
   - _Soldiers diced in the barracks to pass the long nights._
   - _He would dice for hours whenever he had a few coins to spare._
6. To decorate a surface with a pattern of squares, diamonds, or cubes.
   - Simple: To decorate something with a pattern of squares or diamonds.
   - _The bookbinder diced the calfskin cover in gilt diamonds._
   - _Some binders still dice the calfskin by hand, pressing a fine diamond pattern into the cover._

## Origin

In Middle English, dys was the plural of dy (compare the noun die). The s sound most likely stayed voiceless because speakers felt the word as a collective word, not a plural, as with pence, and the spelling dice follows from that pronunciation.

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