Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section D and E, by Project Gutenberg
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.
Explanation
This excerpt from The Gutenberg Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (a digitized version of the 1913 Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary) is a lexicographical entry defining the word "day" through its compounds, phrases, and specialized usages across different fields (law, astronomy, religion, medicine, etc.). While it may seem like a dry reference text, it is rich in historical, cultural, and linguistic significance, offering insights into how language encodes time, labor, religion, and social structures. Below is a detailed breakdown of the excerpt, focusing on its content, themes, literary/linguistic devices, and broader implications.
1. Context of the Source
- Project Gutenberg is a digital library of free eBooks, including public-domain works like this 1913 dictionary. The Webster’s Unabridged was a comprehensive reference work of its time, reflecting late 19th/early 20th-century American English usage.
- The entry for "day" is structured as a catalog of compounds and idiomatic expressions, typical of dictionaries from this era, which often included encyclopedic details (e.g., legal, scientific, or religious definitions) alongside linguistic ones.
- The excerpt is not a literary text but a lexicographical artifact, yet it reveals how language systematizes abstract concepts (time, labor, faith) into concrete terms.
2. Themes in the Excerpt
A. The Construction of Time
The entry demonstrates how "day" is not a monolithic concept but a socially and culturally constructed unit, varying by:
- Astronomy (astronomical day, sidereal day, mean solar day): Time measured by celestial bodies (sun, stars).
- Law (civil day, days in bank, day in court): Time as a legal framework for deadlines, appearances, and labor.
- Religion (days of devotion, days of obligation): Time sacred to ritual observance (Catholicism, Judaism).
- Labor (working day, week day): Time as an economic unit tied to productivity.
Key Insight: The dictionary entry deconstructs the apparent simplicity of "day" by showing its context-dependent meanings, reinforcing that time is not natural but negotiated by culture, science, and power structures.
B. Power and Institution
Many definitions tie "day" to institutional authority:
- Legal systems (civil day, day in court, days of grace): Courts dictate how time is divided for justice.
- Religious doctrine (days of obligation): The Church mandates attendance on specific days.
- Economic structures (working day): Capitalism regulates labor time (e.g., "a day’s pay for a day’s work").
Example: The "day rule" (a now-abolished legal order allowing prisoners temporary freedom) shows how time can be a tool of control or mercy.
C. Cultural Relativism
The entry highlights cross-cultural variations in defining a day:
- Babylonians/Hindoos: Day begins at sunrise.
- Athenians/Jews: Day begins at sunset.
- Egyptians/Romans: Day begins at midnight.
- Modern civil day: Midnight to midnight (a Western standard).
Significance: This underscores that even fundamental concepts like "day" are culturally relative, challenging the idea of universal timekeeping.
D. Language and Compound Words
The opening line—"Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, workday"—introduces the idea that "day" is a productive morpheme, combining with other words to create new meanings. This reflects:
- Linguistic efficiency: English often forms compounds to convey complex ideas succinctly (e.g., day owl = an owl active by day).
- Metaphorical extensions: Some compounds are literal (daylight), while others are figurative (win the day = victory).
3. Literary and Linguistic Devices
While not a "literary" text, the excerpt employs several rhetorical and structural techniques:
A. Taxonomy and Classification
The entry organizes definitions hierarchically, grouping them by field (astronomy, law, religion). This encyclopedic style mirrors:
- Scientific classification (like Linnaean taxonomy).
- Legal codification (e.g., Blackstone’s Commentaries).
- Theological categorization (e.g., canon law).
Effect: Creates a sense of authoritative order, reinforcing the dictionary’s role as a definitive source.
B. Cross-Referencing
Phrases like "See Anniversary, n." or "See under Born" demonstrate:
- Intertextuality: The dictionary assumes the reader will consult other entries, making knowledge modular and interconnected.
- Economy of language: Avoids redundancy by directing the reader elsewhere.
C. Historical Anachronisms
Some terms reflect outdated practices:
- "Day rule (Eng. Law), an order of court (now abolished)": Shows how legal definitions evolve.
- "Hemeralopia" (day blindness): An archaic medical term (now called nyctalopia or night blindness). Significance: The dictionary preserves linguistic fossils, offering a window into past knowledge systems.
D. Idiomatic and Figurative Language
While mostly literal, some phrases are metaphorical or proverbial:
- "To win the day" (victory in battle or debate).
- "From day to day" (gradual change over time).
- "One of these days" (vague future time). Effect: Shows how abstract time is given emotional or narrative weight in everyday speech.
4. Significance of the Excerpt
A. Linguistic Anthropology
The entry is a microcosm of how language encodes culture. By analyzing definitions of "day," we see:
- How societies structure time (e.g., work vs. rest, sacred vs. profane).
- How institutions (law, religion, science) shape language.
- How compound words reveal cultural priorities (e.g., workday vs. day of obligation).
B. Historical Record
As a 1913 text, it captures:
- Pre-digital timekeeping: Before atomic clocks, time was tied to astronomical observations (sidereal day).
- Colonial/Western-centric standards: The civil day (midnight to midnight) was becoming global, erasing indigenous timekeeping.
- Industrial-era labor norms: The working day reflects early 20th-century labor laws (e.g., 8-hour workdays).
C. Philosophical Implications
The excerpt invites questions about:
- The nature of time: Is a "day" a natural phenomenon or a human invention?
- Power and time: Who decides how time is divided? (E.g., days of obligation are set by the Church; working days by employers.)
- Language and reality: Does defining "day" in so many ways fragment its meaning or enrich it?
D. Literary Parallels
While not fiction, the dictionary’s style echoes:
- Modernist fragmentation: Like Joyce’s Ulysses or Eliot’s The Waste Land, it presents multiple perspectives on a single concept.
- Poststructuralist ideas: Shows how meaning is unstable—"day" shifts based on context (law, religion, science).
- Borgesian encyclopedism: Like Borges’ Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge, it categorizes the world in unexpected ways.
5. Close Reading of Key Lines
"Day by day, or Day after day, daily; every day; continually..."
- Repetition: The synonyms (day by day, day after day) create a rhythmic, almost liturgical effect, mirroring the cyclical nature of time.
- Religious connotation: The quote from the Book of Common Prayer ("Day by day we magnify thee") ties daily time to ritual and devotion.
- Contrast: "Day by day" (neutral) vs. "day after day" (can imply monotony or endurance).
"One day, One of these days, at an uncertain time..."
- Vagueness: These phrases resist precision, highlighting how language struggles to pin down future time.
- Shakespearean echo: The quote ("Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband") comes from Richard III, where "one day" carries ironic foreshadowing (the niece, Elizabeth of York, later marries Henry VII, uniting the Tudor dynasty).
"To win the day, to gain the victory..."
- Metaphor: Time (day) becomes a prize in conflict.
- Historical usage: The citation from Samuel Butler (likely Hudibras, a 17th-century satirical poem) shows how the phrase was militaristic before becoming general.
6. Conclusion: Why This Matters
This dictionary entry, though seemingly mundane, is a treasure trove of cultural, historical, and linguistic insights. It reveals:
- Time is not neutral—it’s shaped by power (law, religion, economics).
- Language is a living archive—old definitions (day rule) coexist with current ones (working day).
- Even a simple word like "day" is a battlefield of meanings, contested by science, faith, and labor.
In an era where time is digitized and standardized (e.g., UTC, 24/7 work cycles), this excerpt reminds us that time was once—and still is—negotiable, sacred, and deeply human.
Further Exploration
- Compare with modern definitions (e.g., Oxford English Dictionary) to see how meanings have shifted.
- Explore indigenous concepts of time (e.g., Māori māramatanga, or the Mayan tzolk’in calendar) to contrast with Western definitions.
- Read literary works about time, such as:
- Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway (a "day" as a narrative structure).
- Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time (subjective vs. clock time).
- Jorge Luis Borges’ The Aleph (time as a labyrinth).