din

Everyday

1. A loud, long, unpleasant noise, often from many sounds together. tree →
2. (verb, rare: din, dins, dinned, dinning) To din something into someone means to make them learn it by repeating it again and again. tree →

In the lessons

In stories and everyday life a din is the noise of a busy playground, a building site or a crowded canteen; it tells the reader the place is noisy and hard to think in; phrases: «make a din», «above the din», «what a din!», «din it into someone».

Examples

• The children made a terrible din in the dining hall. tree →
• We could hardly hear the teacher above the din. tree →
• What a din! Turn that music down! tree →
• The din of the traffic kept me awake. tree →
• The parrots made a great din at dawn. tree →
• Mum dinned it into us to look both ways before crossing. tree →
• The din of hammers came from next door. tree →

Note

Usually «a din» or «the din»; no plural in normal use. Short and old word. Not the same as «dinner»; and «din-dins» is baby talk for dinner.

In Jewish tradition

In this quotation it is a Hebrew word, written in Hebrew letters, that names a person, and it has nothing to do with noise.

Interpretation. In Jewish tradition din means law or judgment, and it also names God's strict justice, which is balanced by mercy.

Examples

• Astle, The Origin and Progress of Writing, London 1784, p. 41: rhu!', IX, 354, 439). <)r he could have meant Jewish astronomers like JIashallah, who was called by Abraham ibn Eira an Indian sage (mr; Din) (see M. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Usually «a din» or «the din»; no plural in normal use. Short and old word. Not the same as «dinner»; and «din-dins» is baby talk for dinner.