direct
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin dīrectus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō (“straighten, direct”), from dis- (“asunder, in pieces, apart, in two”) + regō (“make straight, rule”). Compare dress. Doublet of derecho.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)
- Proceeding without deviation or interruption.
- Straight; not crooked, oblique, or circuitous; leading by the short or shortest way to a point or end.
- the most direct route between two buildings
- Straightforward; sincere.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
- Be even and direct with me.
- Immediate; express; plain; unambiguous.
- 1689 December (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 1, in Two Treatises of Government: […], London: […] Awnsham Churchill, […], →OCLC:
- He nowhere, that I know, says it in direct words.
- 1827, Henry Hallam, “On the English Constitution from Henry VII. to Mary”, in The Constitutional History of England from the Accession of Henry VII. to the Death of George II. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 48:
- Nor did the government scruple a direct and avowed interference with elections.
- In the line of descent; not collateral.
- a descendant in the direct line
- (astronomy) In the direction of the general planetary motion, or from west to east; in the order of the signs; not retrograde; said of the motion of a celestial body.
- (political science) Pertaining to, or effected immediately by, action of the people through their votes instead of through one or more representatives or delegates.
- direct nomination; direct legislation
- (aviation, travel) Having a single flight number.
- (mathematics, logic, of a proof) Not employing the law of the excluded middle or argument by contradiction. Antonym: indirect
Synonyms edit
- (proceeding uninterrupted): immediate
- (express, plain, unambiguous): explicit, patent, univocal; see also Thesaurus:explicit
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
- direct access
- direct action
- direct activist
- direct air capture
- direct broadcast satellite
- direct case
- direct cost
- direct coupling
- direct current
- direct cut
- direct debit
- direct democracy
- direct deposit
- direct descendant
- direct election
- direct examination
- direct fire
- direct flight
- direct free kick
- direct initiative
- direct intent
- direct inward dialing
- direct limit
- direct mail
- direct marketing
- direct maternal death
- direct message
- direct object
- direct orange
- direct primary
- direct product
- direct provision
- direct question
- direct quote
- direct registering
- direct repeat
- direct report
- direct response
- direct rule
- direct selling
- direct speech
- direct sum
- direct system
- direct tax
- direct-to-consumer
- direct-to-DVD
- direct-to-home
- direct-to-streaming
- direct-to-TV
- direct-to-video
- direct verb
- foreign direct investment
- transcranial direct current stimulation
Translations edit
straight, constant, without interruption
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Adverb edit
direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)
- Directly.
- 1912, Central Provinces (India), Central Provinces District Gazetteers, page 96:
- The walls, which are fixed direct into the ground without a plinth, are made of wattle and plastered with a thin lair of mud or cowdung.
- 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate, published 2010, page 346:
- Presumably Mary is to carry messages that she, Anne, is too delicate to convey direct.
Verb edit
direct (third-person singular simple present directs, present participle directing, simple past and past participle directed)
- To manage, control, steer.
- to direct the affairs of a nation or the movements of an army
- To aim (something) at (something else).
- They directed their fire towards the men on the wall.
- He directed his question to the room in general.
- To point out to or show (somebody) the right course or way; to guide, as by pointing out the way.
- He directed me to the left-hand road.
- 1882, John Lubbock, Flowers, Fruits and Leaves:
- the next points to which I will direct your attention
- To point out to with authority; to instruct as a superior; to order.
- She directed them to leave immediately.
- c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
- I'll first direct my men what they shall do.
- (dated) To address (a letter) to a particular person or place.
- 1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview, published 2001, page 310:
- [A]s I do not know where I shall be, and shall have my letters sent after me as soon as I do know, continue to direct hither.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
to manage, control, steer
|
to be in charge of the direction of a film
|
to be in charge of the direction of a play
|
to aim at
|
to order
Anagrams edit
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Middle French direct, from Latin dīrēctus.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
direct (comparative directer, superlative directst)
Inflection edit
| Inflection of direct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | direct | |||
| inflected | directe | |||
| comparative | directer | |||
| positive | comparative | superlative | ||
| predicative/adverbial | direct | directer | het directst het directste | |
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | directe | directere | directste |
| n. sing. | direct | directer | directste | |
| plural | directe | directere | directste | |
| definite | directe | directere | directste | |
| partitive | directs | directers | — | |
Adverb edit
direct
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Borrowed from Latin dīrectus. Doublet of droit, which was inherited.
Adjective edit
direct (feminine directe, masculine plural directs, feminine plural directes)
Noun edit
direct m (plural directs)
Etymology 2 edit
From directement.
Adverb edit
direct
- (colloquial) directly
- Si t’as pas envie d’y aller, dis-le direct. ― If you don't want to go, say it straight up.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
See also edit
Further reading edit
- “direct”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams edit
German edit
Adjective edit
direct (strong nominative masculine singular directer, comparative directer, superlative am directesten)
- Obsolete spelling of direkt which was deprecated in 1902 following the Second Orthographic Conference of 1901.
Declension edit
Positive forms of direct
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist direct | sie ist direct | es ist direct | sie sind direct | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | directer | directe | directes | directe |
| genitive | directen | directer | directen | directer | |
| dative | directem | directer | directem | directen | |
| accusative | directen | directe | directes | directe | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der directe | die directe | das directe | die directen |
| genitive | des directen | der directen | des directen | der directen | |
| dative | dem directen | der directen | dem directen | den directen | |
| accusative | den directen | die directe | das directe | die directen | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein directer | eine directe | ein directes | (keine) directen |
| genitive | eines directen | einer directen | eines directen | (keiner) directen | |
| dative | einem directen | einer directen | einem directen | (keinen) directen | |
| accusative | einen directen | eine directe | ein directes | (keine) directen | |
Comparative forms of direct
Superlative forms of direct
Norman edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin dīrectus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō, dīrigere (“straighten, direct”). Compare the inherited drait, drouait.
Adjective edit
direct m
Derived terms edit
- directément (“directly”)
Romanian edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French direct, Latin directus. Compare the inherited doublet drept.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
direct m or n (feminine singular directă, masculine plural direcți, feminine and neuter plural directe)
Declension edit
Declension of direct
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative |
indefinite | direct | directă | direcți | directe | ||
| definite | directul | directa | direcții | directele | |||
| genitive/ dative |
indefinite | direct | directe | direcți | directe | ||
| definite | directului | directei | direcților | directelor | |||
Adverb edit
direct