From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
dim
adj 1: lacking in light; not bright or harsh; "a dim light
beside the bed"; "subdued lights and soft music" [syn:
dim, subdued]
2: lacking clarity or distinctness; "a dim figure in the
distance"; "only a faint recollection"; "shadowy figures in
the gloom"; "saw a vague outline of a building through the
fog"; "a few wispy memories of childhood" [syn: dim,
faint, shadowy, vague, wispy]
3: made dim or less bright; "the dimmed houselights brought a
hush of anticipation"; "dimmed headlights"; "we like dimmed
lights when we have dinner" [syn: dimmed, dim] [ant:
bright, undimmed]
4: offering little or no hope; "the future looked black";
"prospects were bleak"; "Life in the Aran Islands has always
been bleak and difficult"- J.M.Synge; "took a dim view of
things" [syn: black, bleak, dim]
5: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so
dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met
anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning,
at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb
officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either
normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with
the slow students" [syn: dense, dim, dull, dumb,
obtuse, slow]
v 1: switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam
[syn: dim, dip]
2: become dim or lusterless; "the lights dimmed and the curtain
rose"
3: make dim or lusterless; "Time had dimmed the silver"
4: make dim by comparison or conceal [syn: blind, dim]
5: become vague or indistinct; "The distinction between the two
theories blurred" [syn: blur, dim, slur] [ant:
focalise, focalize, focus]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dim \Dim\, a. [Compar. Dimmer; superl. Dimmest.] [AS. dim;
akin to OFries. dim, Icel. dimmr: cf. MHG. timmer, timber; of
uncertain origin.]
1. Not bright or distinct; wanting luminousness or clearness;
obscure in luster or sound; dusky; darkish; obscure;
indistinct; overcast; tarnished.
[1913 Webster]
The dim magnificence of poetry. --Whewell.
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How is the gold become dim! --Lam. iv. 1.
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I never saw
The heavens so dim by day. --Shak.
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Three sleepless nights I passed in sounding on,
Through words and things, a dim and perilous way.
--Wordsworth.
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2. Of obscure vision; not seeing clearly; hence, dull of
apprehension; of weak perception; obtuse.
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Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow. --Job
xvii. 7.
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The understanding is dim. --Rogers.
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Note: Obvious compounds: dim-eyed; dim-sighted, etc.
Syn: Obscure; dusky; dark; mysterious; imperfect; dull;
sullied; tarnished.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dim \Dim\, v. i.
To grow dim. --J. C. Shairp.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dim \Dim\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dimmed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Dimming.]
1. To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or
distinct; to take away the luster of; to darken; to dull;
to obscure; to eclipse.
[1913 Webster]
A king among his courtiers, who dims all his
attendants. --Dryden.
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Now set the sun, and twilight dimmed the ways.
--Cowper.
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2. To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing
clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to
darken the senses or understanding of.
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Her starry eyes were dimmed with streaming tears.
--C. Pitt.
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From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008) [foldoc]:
DIM statement
DIM
<programming> (From "dimension") A keyword in most versions
of the BASIC programming language that declares the size of
an array. E.g.
DIM A(100)
declares a one-dimensional array with 101 numeric elements
(including A(0)).
Visual Basic uses the DIM (or "Dim") statement for any
variable declaration, even scalars, e.g.
Dim DepartmentNumber As Integer
which declares a single (scalar) variable of type Integer.
(1999-03-26)