circular faces with numbers or markings that measure something, like on a clock or speedometer; also, a verb meaning to call someone on a telephone or to adjust something using a rotating control.
From Late Latin 'dialis' (daily, of a day), related to 'dies' (day). Originally meaning a daily allowance or schedule, the word evolved to describe sun dials (which track daily time), then expanded to any circular measuring device. The telephone sense came with dial phones.
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