Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Diurnal
1.
Relating to the daytime; belonging to the period of daylight, distinguished from the night; – opposed to
nocturnal
; as,
diurnal
heat; diurnal
hours.2.
Daily; recurring every day; performed in a day; going through its changes in a day; constituting the measure of a day;
as, a
diurnal
fever; a diurnal
task; diurnal
aberration, or diurnal
parallax; the diurnal
revolution of the earth.Ere twice the horses of the sun shall bring
Their fiery torcher his
Their fiery torcher his
diurnal
ring. Shakespeare
3.
(Bot.)
Opening during the day, and closing at night; – said of flowers or leaves.
4.
(Zool.)
Active by day; – applied especially to the eagles and hawks among raptorial birds, and to butterflies (Diurna) among insects.
Syn. – See
Daily
. 1.
A daybook; a journal.
[Obs.]
Tatler.
2.
(R. C. Ch.)
A small volume containing the daily service for the “little hours,” viz., prime, tierce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline.
3.
(Zool.)
A diurnal bird or insect.
Webster 1828 Edition
Diurnal
DIURNAL
,Adj.
1.
Relating to a day; pertaining to the daytime; as diurnal heat; diurnal hours.2.
Daily; happening every day; performed in a day; as a diurnal task.3.
Performed in 24 hours; as the diurnal revolution of the earth.4.
In medicine, an epithet of diseases whose exacerbations are in the day time; as a diurnal fever.DIURNAL
,Noun.