dim
adjective (dim, dimmer, dimmest); verb (dim, dims, dimmed, dimming)
Everyday
- Dim means not bright. A dim light gives only a little light. tree →
- To dim is to make or become less bright. tree →
- Dim can mean hard to see or remember. tree →
- In everyday talk, dim can mean not clever (this can be rude). tree →
- Dim can also be a short way of writing "diminutive", a word form that means small. tree →
In the lessons
maths: a story word about light, or short for dimension in some texts; no clue about the quantities; science: light, how a bulb dims with less power, dim stars far away; everyday life: dim the lights for a film; safety: wear bright clothes when it is dim outside
Examples
- The room was dim. tree →
- She dimmed the lights for the film. tree →
- A dim lamp uses less power. tree →
- The dim star was hard to see. tree →
- The light grew dim at dusk. tree →
- Wear something bright on dim evenings. tree →
- I have a dim memory of my first birthday. tree →
- All the streets and lanes of Paris were to be seen here again, as in a dim reflection. tree →
Note
No clue about the quantities. Trap: none. Double the m: dimmed, dimmer.
In Jewish tradition
In the Torah, dim eyes mean weak eyesight, usually from old age. In the skin-disease laws, a dim spot is one that looks faded rather than bright white. Lamentations says the gold has become dim, a picture of Jerusalem's lost glory, and Eli's eyes were dim in his old age.
Interpretation. The tradition notes that Moses' eye was not dim at 120, a sign of his special strength. In the law of skin marks, the priest judges whether a mark is dim or bright, and this decides whether the person is shut away. Lamentations' dim gold is read as the Temple's glory fading after its destruction.
Examples
- Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. (Torah GEN.48.10, JPS 1917) tree →
- And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. (Torah DEU.34.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and it be not lower than the skin, but be dim, then the priest shall shut him up seven days. (Torah LEV.13.21, JPS 1917) tree →
- How is the gold become dim! (Writings LAM.4.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- For this our heart is faint, for these things our eyes are dim; (Writings LAM.5.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place — now his eyes had begun to wax dim, that he could not see— (Prophets 1SA.3.2, JPS 1917) tree →
Note
No clue about the quantities. Trap: none. Double the m: dimmed, dimmer.
Early Modern English
Meaning
Not bright, or not able to see well; in one sentence it is short for "diminutive." tree →
Then and now
Today it means not bright. In the Russian sentence "dim." is an abbreviation for "diminutive," meaning a small form of a word, which is an old use.
Examples
- Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. (Torah GEN.48.10, JPS 1917) tree →
- It is called in the original a Kukla (dim. (Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-lore) tree →
- And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. (Torah DEU.34.7, JPS 1917) tree →
Note
Today: faint, not seeing clearly.
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «dim» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «dim» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «dim» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «dim» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «dim» in the Early Modern English dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «dim» in the Early Modern English dictionary on Mova free.
This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/dim/