Encyclopedia

dial

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dial

1. the circular graduated disc of various measuring instruments
2. 
a. the control on a radio or television set used to change the station or channel
b. the panel on a radio on which the frequency, wavelength, or station is indicated by means of a pointer
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

dial

[dīl]
(communications)
In automatic telephone switching, a type of calling device which, when wound up and released, generates pulses required for establishing connections.
(design engineering)
A separate scale or other device for indicating the value to which a control is set.

DIAL

[′dī‚al]
(engineering)
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

dial

(1) See rotary dial.

(2) A Microsoft input device for its Surface Studio PC. See Surface Studio.
Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Dial

 

a subassembly of a telephone that is used to control the operation of the apparatus in an automatic telephone exchange in order to establish a connection to the subscriber being called. Dials may be of the disk or push-button types, depending on the method of selecting the desired number.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive
Particularly eye-catching is the model in blue, whose colour is by no means limited to the dial, with its case being entirely 'Electric Blue'.
Dial and the stranger did not have the opportunity to interact with one another.
The book includes enough of the science of radium and radiation so the average reader can understand why radium causes the kinds of damage the dial painters experienced, but it is not primarily a science book.
Elegant SKINELLI glimmers with clear crystals on a rose-gold-colored dial, with a thin, adjustable Milanese bracelet.
The DIAL program identifies, trains and promotes placement of Indian-Americans in civic roles.
The DIAL had earlier directed the airline to shift a part of its flight operations from Terminal-1 to Terminal-2 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
While introducing this plan, the DIAL claimed it will help control touting activities but now they have moved away from the claim, saying this plan will decongest the forecourt area.
Not only is there not enough time to dial for constantly changing wind, but those who do often become confused as to where their zero point is, how to get back to it, and what change to make for varying conditions.
Ensure that security door and gate systems are reprogrammed to dial 1 + area code + telephone number.
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