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.
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 inward dialing
- direct limit
- direct mail
- direct marketing
- direct maternal death
- direct object
- 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-to-consumer
- direct-to-DVD
- direct-to-streaming
- direct-to-TV
- direct-to-video
- direct verb
- foreign direct investment
- transcranial direct current stimulation
Translations Edit
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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
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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
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 |
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
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