If my debtors do not keep their day, . . .
I must with patience all the terms attend.
Dryden.
5. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc.
The field of Agincourt,
Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.
Shak.
His name struck fear, his conduct won the day.
Roscommon.
Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, workday, etc.
<! p. 371 !>
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, (Zoöl.), 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.
Day"aks (d"ks), n. pl. (Ethnol.) See Dyaks.
Day"book` (d"bk`), 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.
Day"break` (d"brk`), n. The time of the first appearance of light in the morning.
Day"-coal` (d"kl`), n. (Mining) The upper stratum of coal, as nearest the light or surface.
Day"dream` (-drm`), n. A vain fancy speculation; a reverie; a castle in the air; unfounded hope.
Mrs. Lambert's little daydream was over.
Thackeray.
Day"dream`er (?), n. One given to daydreams.
Day"flow`er (-flou`r), n. (Bot.) A genus consisting mostly of tropical perennial herbs (Commelina), having ephemeral flowers.
Day"fly` (d"fl`), n. (Zoöl.) 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.
Day"-la`bor (?), n. Labor hired or performed by the day. Milton.
Day"-la`bor*er (?), 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.
Day"light` (-lt), 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.