adv. [ Pref. a- (for on) + day; the final s was orig. a genitive ending, afterwards forming adverbs. ] By day, or every day; in the daytime. [ Obs. ] Fielding. [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. [ For alack the day. Cf. Lackaday. ] An exclamation expressing sorrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Shakespeare has “alack the day” and “alack the heavy day.” Compare “woe worth the day.” [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Eccl.) The first Sunday after Easter Sunday, properly Albless Sunday, because in the early church those who had been baptized on Easter eve laid aside on the following Saturday their white albs which had been put on after baptism. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adv. Continually. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The first day of April, a day on which sportive impositions are practiced. [ 1913 Webster ]

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools' Day. Poor Robin's Almanack (1760). [ 1913 Webster ]

The second day of November; a feast day of the Roman Catholic church, on which supplications are made for the souls of the faithful dead. [ 1913 Webster ]

The first day of Lent; -- so called from a custom in the Roman Catholic church of putting ashes, on that day, upon the foreheads of penitents. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. to reproduce by the Benday method. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The day in which any person is born; day of origin or commencement. [ 1913 Webster ]

Those barbarous ages past, succeeded next
The birthday of invention. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The day of the month in which a person was born, in whatever succeeding year it may recur; the anniversary of one's birth. [ 1913 Webster ]

This is my birthday; as this very day
Was Cassius born. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the day of birth, or its anniversary; as, birthday gifts or festivities. [ 1913 Webster ]

. Any Friday on which a public disaster has occurred, as: In England, December 6, 1745, when the news of the landing of the Pretender reached London, or May 11, 1866, when a financial panic commenced. In the United States, September 24, 1869, and September 18, 1873, on which financial panics began, and especially October 29, 1929, when a dramatic drop in stock prices contributed to the factors which began the great depression of the 1930's. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

The last week of October 1929 remains forever imprinted in the American memory.
It was, of course, the week of the Great Crash, the stock market collapse that signaled the collapse of the world economy and the Great Depression of the 1930s. From an all-time high of 381 in early September 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average drifted down to a level of 326 on October 22, then, in a series of traumatic selling waves, to 230 in the course of the following six trading days.
The stock market's drop was far from over; it continued its sickening slide for nearly three more years, reaching an ultimate low of 41 in July 1932. But it was that last week of October 1929 that burned itself into the American consciousness. After a decade of unprecedented boom and prosperity, there suddenly was panic, fear, a yawning gap in the American fabric. The party was over. Wall street Journal, October 28, 1977 [ PJC ]

1. Easter Monday, so called from the severity of that day in 1360, which was so unusual that many of Edward III.'s soldiers, then before Paris, died from the cold. Stow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a bleeding on Black Monday last. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The first Monday after the holidays; -- so called by English schoolboys. Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

The time between daylight and candle light. [ Humorous ] [ 1913 Webster ]

. The first week day after Christmas, a legal holiday on which Christmas boxes are given to postmen, errand boys, employees, etc. The night of this day is boxing night. [ Eng. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. a South American palm (Copernicia australis or Copernicia alba) yielding a wax similar to carnauba wax.
Syn. -- caranday, caranda palm, wax palm. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

[ AS. cildamæsse-dæg; cild child +dæg day. ] (Eccl.) A day (December 28) observed by mass or festival in commemoration of the children slain by Herod at Bethlehem; -- called also Holy Innocent's Day. [ 1913 Webster ]

. In American colleges and universities, a day of the commencement season on which the senior class celebrates the completion of its course by exercises conducted by the members, such as the reading of the class histories and poem, the delivery of the class oration, the planting of the class ivy, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

The 12th day of October, on which day in 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered America, landing on one of the Bahama Islands (probably the one now commonly called Watling Island), and naming it “San Salvador”; -- called also Discovery Day. This day is made a legal holiday in many States of The United States. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. pl. (Eccl.) The three days preceding the Feast of the Ascension. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. day, dai, dei, AS. dæg; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. √69. Cf. Dawn. ] 1. 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. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man who was great among the Hellenes of his day. Jowett (Thucyd. ) [ 1913 Webster ]

If my debtors do not keep their day, . . .
I must with patience all the terms attend. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

The field of Agincourt,
Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

His name struck fear, his conduct won the day. Roscommon. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, workday, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Anniversary day. See Anniversary, n. --
Astronomical day, a period equal to the mean solar day, but beginning at noon instead of at midnight, its twenty-four hours being numbered from 1 to 24; also, the sidereal day, as that most used by astronomers. --
Born days. See under Born. --
Canicular days. See Dog day. --
Civil day, the mean solar day, used in the ordinary reckoning of time, and among most modern nations beginning at mean midnight; its hours are usually numbered in two series, each from 1 to 12. This is the period recognized by courts as constituting a day. The Babylonians and Hindoos began their day at sunrise, the Athenians and Jews at sunset, the ancient Egyptians and Romans at midnight. --
Day blindness. (Med.) See Nyctalopia. --
Day by day, or
Day after day, daily; every day; continually; without intermission of a day. See under By. “Day by day we magnify thee.” Book of Common Prayer. --
Days in bank (Eng. Law), certain stated days for the return of writs and the appearance of parties; -- so called because originally peculiar to the Court of Common Bench, or Bench (bank) as it was formerly termed. Burrill. --
Day in court, a day for the appearance of parties in a suit. --
Days of devotion (R. C. Ch.), certain festivals on which devotion leads the faithful to attend mass. Shipley. --
Days of grace. See Grace. --
Days of obligation (R. C. Ch.), festival days when it is obligatory on the faithful to attend Mass. Shipley. --
Day owl, (Zool.), an owl that flies by day. See Hawk owl. --
Day rule (Eng. Law), an order of court (now abolished) allowing a prisoner, under certain circumstances, to go beyond the prison limits for a single day. --
Day school, one which the pupils attend only in daytime, in distinction from a boarding school. --
Day sight. (Med.) See Hemeralopia. --
Day's work (Naut.), the account or reckoning of a ship's course for twenty-four hours, from noon to noon. --
From day to day, as time passes; in the course of time; as, he improves from day to day. --
Jewish day, the time between sunset and sunset. --
Mean solar day (Astron.), the mean or average of all the apparent solar days of the year. --
One day,
One of these days, at an uncertain time, usually of the future, rarely of the past; sooner or later. “Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband.” Shak. --
Only from day to day, without certainty of continuance; temporarily. Bacon. --
Sidereal day, the interval between two successive transits of the first point of Aries over the same meridian. The Sidereal day is 23 h. 56 m. 4.09 s. of mean solar time. --
To win the day, to gain the victory, to be successful. S. Butler. --
Week day, any day of the week except Sunday; a working day. --
Working day. (a) A day when work may be legally done, in distinction from Sundays and legal holidays. (b) The number of hours, determined by law or custom, during which a workman, hired at a stated price per day, must work to be entitled to a day's pay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. (Ethnol.) See Dyaks. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. same as around-the-clock.
Syn. -- around-the-clock, nonstop, round-the-clock. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. an armless couch; a seat by day and a bed by night.
Syn. -- divan bed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a long chair; for reclining.
Syn. -- chaise longue, chaise. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a schoolchild at a boarding school who has meals at school but sleeps at home. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A journal of accounts; a primary record book in which are recorded the debts and credits, or accounts of the day, in their order, and from which they are transferred to the journal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a day boarder who is a boy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The time of the first appearance of light in the morning. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mining) The upper stratum of coal, as nearest the light or surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A vain fancy speculation; a reverie; a castle in the air; unfounded hope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mrs. Lambert's little daydream was over. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One given to daydreams. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A genus consisting mostly of tropical perennial herbs (Commelina), having ephemeral flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A neuropterous insect of the genus Ephemera and related genera, of many species, and inhabiting fresh water in the larval state; the ephemeral fly; -- so called because it commonly lives but one day in the winged or adult state. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Labor hired or performed by the day. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who works by the day; -- usually applied to a farm laborer, or to a workman who does not work at any particular trade. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The light of day as opposed to the darkness of night; the light of the sun, as opposed to that of the moon or to artificial light. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. The eyes. [ Prov. Eng. ] Wright.

[ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) (a) any plant of a genus of plants (Hemerocallis) closely resembling true lilies, but having tuberous rootstocks instead of bulbs. The common species have long narrow leaves and either yellow or tawny-orange flowers, which often bloom for only one day. (b) A genus of plants (Funkia) differing from the last in having ovate veiny leaves, and large white or blue flowers. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. A dairymaid. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Day + mare incubus. ] (Med.) A kind of incubus which occurs during wakefulness, attended by the peculiar pressure on the chest which characterizes nightmare. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A net for catching small birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The dawn. [ Poetic ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From day in the sense of day fixed for trial. ] An umpire or arbiter; a mediator. [ 1913 Webster ]

Neither is there any daysman betwixt us. Job ix. 33. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The beginning of the day, or first appearance of light; the dawn; hence, the beginning. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. Luke i. 78. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The morning star; the star which ushers in the day; -- usually the planet Venus, when seen before and just after sunrise. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

A dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. 2 Peter i. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The sun, as the orb of day. [ Poetic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed,
And yet anon repairs his drooping head,
And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore
Flames in the forehead of the morning sky. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The time during which there is daylight, as distinguished from the night; same as day, 1; as, during the daytime. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

adj. occurring every day.
Syn. -- daily, day-after-day. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A dairymaid. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Mil.) the day designated for the beginning of a planned attack by a military force; in communications the day is often otherwise unspecified for security reasons; as, the day before D-day the troops will move into position. [ PJC ]

2. 6 June 1944, the day of the landing in France, by troops allied against the Germans in World War II.
Syn. -- 6 June 1944. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. the day for commencement or execution of any elaborate planned activity; -- often used jocosely. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

. a day, May 30, originally appointed for decorating with flowers the graves of the Union soldiers and sailors, who fell in the Civil War in the United States; -- now called Memorial Day, and established as the last Monday in May, and designated as a day for commemorating those who died in all wars of the United States. [ U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

. same as Columbus Day, above. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ or . One of the dog days. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dogday cicada (Zool.), a large American cicada (Cicada pruinosa), which trills loudly in midsummer. [ 1913 Webster ]