Plural of diurnal; books of daily prayers or religious offices, or creatures that are active during the daytime.
Plural of 'diurnal,' from Latin 'diurnalis.' In religious contexts, 'diurnals' referred to specific liturgical books. In biology, it describes animals active during daylight hours.
In medieval monasteries, monks would use different prayer books for different times of day—'diurnals' for daytime services were distinct from 'nocturnals' for nighttime vigils. Modern church bookstores have largely replaced these with consolidated prayer books!
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