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Rotary vs Dial – What’s the difference?

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Rotary vs Dial - What's the difference?
As nouns the difference between rotary and dial is that rotary is (new england) a traffic circle while dial is a graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).

As an adjective rotary is having or being capable of having rotation.

As a verb dial is to measure or indicate something with a dial.

rotary

English

Adjective

(–)

  • Having or being capable of having rotation.
  • :A rotary engine revolves the heads rather than having pistons go back and forth.

    • Noun

    (rotaries)

  • (New England) A traffic circle.
  • Usually with a capital initial, short for , an international club for community service.

    • dial

    English

    Noun

    (en noun )

  • A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
  • A clock face.
  • A sundial.
  • A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.
  • A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.
  • (British, dated) A person’s face.
  • * 1960:‘ ”At the sound of the old familiar voice he spun around with something of the agility of a cat on hot bricks, and I saw that his ”’dial , usually cheerful, was contorted with anguish, as if he had swallowed a bad oyster.” (, ”(Jeeves in the Offing) , chapter IX)
  • A miner’s compass.

    • Verb

  • To measure or indicate something with a dial.
  • To control or select something with a dial
  • To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone.
  • To use a dial or a telephone.

    • Usage notes

    * (term) and (term) are more common in the US. (term) and (term) are more common in the UK.

    Derived terms

    * dial-in
    * dial in
    * dial-up
    * dialer (US)
    * dial tone
    * misdial
    * redial

    Anagrams

    *
    *
    —-

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