diurnal
diurnal Lexical Profile
diurnal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Active mainly during the daytime and resting at night (used of animals, or of flowers that open during the day and close at night).
"Unlike owls, most hawks and eagles are diurnal predators that rely on daylight to spot their prey."
Occurring every day or having a daily cycle that is completed once every twenty-four hours.
"Desert regions often experience extreme diurnal temperature variations between the scorching afternoon and the freezing night."
• noun
An animal or insect, such as a butterfly, that is active during the daytime.
"Entomologists often divide lepidopterans into diurnals and nocturnals based on their flight habits."
A Roman Catholic liturgical book containing the daytime canonical hours of the breviary (excluding matins).
"The monk carried a small leather-bound diurnal to recite the midday prayers while traveling."
A daily record, diary, or newspaper (now historical or archaic).
"Seventeenth-century parliamentary proceedings were regularly printed in a weekly or daily diurnal."
Word Nuance & Usage
In biological contexts, 'diurnal' specifically means active during the daylight hours (the opposite of 'nocturnal'), whereas in astronomy and meteorology it refers to a full 24-hour daily cycle.
• Rhymes for diurnal
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Late Latin diurnalis ('daily'), derived from Latin diurnus ('of the day') and ultimately from dies ('day').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.