day

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The period of light between dawn and nightfall; the interval from sunrise to sunset.
2. n. The 24-hour period during which the earth completes one rotation on its axis.
3. n. The period during which a celestial body makes a similar rotation.
4. n. One of the numbered 24-hour periods into which a week, month, or year is divided.
5. n. The portion of a 24-hour period that is devoted to work, school, or business: an eight-hour day; a sale that lasted for three days.
6. n. A 24-hour period or a portion of it that is reserved for a certain activity: a day of rest.
7. n. A specific, characteristic period in one's lifetime: In Grandmother's day, skirts were long.
8. n. A period of opportunity or prominence: Every defendant is entitled to a day in court. That child will have her day.
9. n. A period of time in history; an era: We studied the tactics used in Napoleon's day. The day of computer science is well upon us.
10. n. Period of life or activity: The sick cat's days will soon be over.
11. adj. Of or relating to the day.
12. adj. Working during the day: the day nurse.
13. adj. Occurring before nightfall: a day hike.
14. idiom. day after day For many days; continuously.
15. idiom. day in, day out Every day without fail; continuously.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The period during which the sun is above the horizon, or shines continuously on any given portion of the earth's surface; the interval of light, in contradistinction to that of darkness, or to night; the period between the rising and the setting of the sun, of varying length, and called by astronomers the artificial day.
2. n. Hence Light; sunshine.
3. n. The whole time or period of one revolution of the earth on its axis, or the space of twenty-four hours; specifically, the interval of time which elapses between two consecutive returns of the same terrestrial meridian to the sun. In this latter specific sense it is called the natural, solar, or astronomical day. Since the length of this day is continually varying, owing to the eccentricity of the earth's orbit and the obliquity of the ecliptic, a mean solar day (the civil day) is employed, which is the average period of one revolution of the earth on its axis relative to the sun's position considered as fixed. The day of twenty-four hours may be reckoned from noon to noon, as in the astronomical or nautical day, or from midnight to midnight, as in the civil day recognized in the United States, throughout the British empire, and in most of the countries of Europe. The Babylonians reckoned the civil day from sunrise to sunrise; the Umbrians, from noon to noon; the Athenians and Hebrews, from sunset to sunset; and the Romans, from midnight to midnight.
4. n. A particular or regularly recurring period of twenty-four hours, assigned to the doing of some specified thing, or connected with some event or observance: as, settling-day; bill-day.
5. n. Specifically— An anniversary; the particular day on which some event is commemorated: as, St. Bartholomew's day; a birthday; New Year's day.
6. n. The regularly recurring period in each week set apart for some particular purpose, as for receiving calls, etc.
7. n. Time. Specified interval or space of time: as, three years' day to do something; he was absent for a year's day.
8. n. Time to pay; credit.
9. n. Period of time.
10. n. Appointed time; set period; appointment.
11. n. Definite time of existence, activity, or influence; allotted or actual term of life, usefulness, or glory: as, his day is over.
12. n. A time or period, as distinguished from other times or periods; age: commonly used in the plural: as, bygone days; the days of our fathers.
13. n. A distance which may be accomplished in a day; a day's journey. See phrase below.
14. n. The contest of a day; a battle or combat with reference to its issue or results: as, to carry the day.
15. n. A long while; time of uncertain length.
16. n. A day in turn; a fixed recurrent day.
17. n. Nautical, the account or reckoning of a ship's course for twenty-four hours, from noon to noon.
18. n. At an indefinite future time; on some day in the future.
19. n. To-day: as, how are ye the day?
20. To become day; dawn: same as daw.
21. To put off from day to day; adjourn. See daying.
22. n. One of the compartments of a mullioned window.
23. n. Same as dey.
24. n. The time during which the sun shines upon any specified point of the moon's surface: opposed to lunar night.
25. n. The interval between two successive transits of the moon across the meridian: sometimes called tidal day.
26. n. December 27. a festival observed in honor of St. John the evangelist and apostle.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any period of 24 hours.
2. n. A period from midnight to the following midnight.
3. n. astronomy Rotational period of a planet (especially earth).
4. n. The part of a day period which one spends at one’s job, school, etc.
5. n. Part of a day period between sunrise and sunset where one enjoys daylight; daytime.
6. n. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time.
7. n. A period of contention of a day or less.
8. v. rare To spend a day (in a place).

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. 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.
2. n. 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.
3. n. Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work.
4. n. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time.
5. n. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
2. n. the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
3. n. a period of opportunity
4. n. an era of existence or influence
5. n. the period of time taken by a particular planet (e.g. Mars) to make a complete rotation on its axis
6. n. a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance
7. n. the recurring hours when you are not sleeping (especially those when you are working)
8. n. some point or period in time
9. n. the time for one complete rotation of the earth relative to a particular star, about 4 minutes shorter than a mean solar day
10. n. United States writer best known for his autobiographical works (1874-1935)