direct

English

Etymology

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.

For the meaning development compare with Russian напра́вить (naprávitʹ, “to direct, to turn, to aim, to level, to point”), отпра́вить (otprávitʹ, “to send, to dispatch, to forward”) connected with пра́вить (právitʹ, “to govern, to rule, to drive, to steer”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d(a)ɪˈɹɛkt/, /dəˈɹɛkt/, /daɪ̯əˈɹɛkt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: di‧rect
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Adjective

direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)

1. Proceeding without deviation or interruption.
2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. In the line of descent; not collateral.

   a descendant in the direct line

6. (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.
7. (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

8. (aviation, travel) Having a single flight number.
9. (mathematics, logic, of a proof) Not employing the law of the excluded middle or argument by contradiction. Antonym: indirect

Synonyms

• (proceeding uninterrupted): immediate
• (express, plain, unambiguous): explicit, patent, univocal; see also Thesaurus:explicit

Antonyms

• indirect

Derived terms

• 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 grant grammar school
• direct initiative
• direct intent
• direct-inverse marking
• direct inward dialing
• direct limit
• direct mail
• direct marketing
• direct maternal death
• direct message
• directness
• 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
• dreckly
• foreign direct investment
• hyperdirect
• nondirect
• semidirect
• transcranial direct current stimulation
• undirect

 

Translations

straight, constant, without interruption

• Albanian: drejtë (sq)
• Arabic: مُبَاشِر m (mubāšir)
• Asturian: direutu
• Belarusian: прамы́ (pramý), непасрэ́дны (njepasrédny)
• Bulgarian: пряк (bg) (prjak), непосре́дствен (bg) (neposrédstven)
• Catalan: directe (ca), dret (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 直接 (zh) (zhíjiē)

  Wu: 直接 (⁸zeq-ciq)

• Cornish: didro, syth
• Czech: přímý (cs)
• Danish: direkte
• Dutch: direct (nl)
• Esperanto: rekta (eo)
• Estonian: otse
• Finnish: suora (fi)
• French: direct (fr)
• Friulian: dret
• Galician: directo (gl)
• German: direkt (de), unmittelbar (de)
• Greek: άμεσος (el) (ámesos), απευθείας (el) (apeftheías)
• Haitian Creole: dirèk
• Hindi: सीधा (hi) (sīdhā)
• Hungarian: közvetlen (hu), egyenes (hu), direkt (hu)
• Interlingua: directe (ia)
• Italian: diretto (it)
• Japanese: 直接の (ja) (ちょくせつの, chokusetsu no)
• Korean: 직접적 (ko) (jikjeopjeok), 직접의 (ko) (jikjeobui)
• Latin: dīrectus, prorsus (la)
• Macedonian: директен (direkten), непосреден (neposreden)
• Maori: horipū, tohitū, pūkaka, arorangi
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: direkte (no)

  Nynorsk: direkte

• Persian: مستقیم (fa) (mostaqim), راست (fa) (râst)
• Polish: bezpośredni (pl)
• Portuguese: directo (pt), direto (pt)
• Romanian: direct (ro)
• Russian: прямо́й (ru) (prjamój), непосре́дственный (ru) (neposrédstvennyj), постоя́нный (ru) (postojánnyj) (e.g. current)
• Scots: airt
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: дѝректан, не̏посредан

  Roman: dìrektan (sh), nȅposredan (sh)

• Slovak: priamy
• Slovene: direkten, neposreden
• Spanish: directo (es)
• Swedish: direkt (sv), omedelbar (sv)
• Tajik: мустақим (tg) (mustaqim)
• Turkish: doğrudan doğruya (tr)
• Ukrainian: прями́й (uk) (prjamýj), безпосере́дній (uk) (bezposerédnij)
• Urdu: سیدھا (sīdhā)
• Welsh: uniongyrchol (cy), syth (cy)

Adverb

direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)

1. 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

direct (third-person singular simple present directs, present participle directing, simple past and past participle directed)

1. To manage, control, steer.

   to direct the affairs of a nation or the movements of an army

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

     Pent up in Utica he vainly forms
     A poor Epitome of Roman Greatneſs,
     And, cover’d with Numidian Guards, directs
     A feeble Army, and an empty Senate,
     Remnants of mighty Battels fought in vain.

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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.

5. (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

• co-direct, codirect
• directability
• directable
• directee
• directrix
• misdirect
• outdirect
• overdirect
• overdirecting
• redirect
• redirective
• stereodirect
• subdirect
• underdirect
• undirect

 

Related terms

Related terms

• adroit
• direction
• directly
• director
• dirge
• dirigible
• dress

Translations

to manage, control, steer

• Arabic: وَجَّه (ar) (wajjah), قَاد (qād)
• Asturian: dirixir
• Bulgarian: ръководя (bg) (rǎkovodja), управлявам (bg) (upravljavam)
• Catalan: dirigir (ca)
• Danish: dirigere, lede
• Esperanto: gvidi, aldirekti
• Finnish: ohjata (fi)
• Galician: dirixir (gl)
• German: beaufsichtigen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: εὐθύνω (euthúnō)

• Hebrew: ניהל (nehél)
• Ido: direktar (io)
• Irish: deachtaigh, treoraigh
• Kazakh: басқару (basqaru)
• Latin: dominor (la)
• Middle English: dressen
• Occitan: dirigir (oc)
• Persian: اداره کردن (fa) (edâre kardan), رایانیدن (fa) (râyânidan)
• Polish: kierować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: dirigir (pt)
• Russian: управля́ть (ru) impf (upravljátʹ)
• Sanskrit: राष्टि (rāṣṭi)
• Slovak: riadiť
• Spanish: dirigir (es)
• Swedish: leda (sv), styra (sv)
• Ukrainian: керувати (keruvaty)

to be in charge of the direction of a film

• Arabic: أَخْرَجَ (ʔaḵraja)
• Esperanto: reĝisori
• Hungarian: rendez (hu)
• Kazakh: режиссерлік ету (rejisserlık etu)
• Polish: reżyserować (pl) impf, wyreżyserować pf
• Russian: режиссировать (ru) (režissirovatʹ)
• Slovak: režírovať
• Swedish: regissera (sv)

to be in charge of the direction of a play

• Arabic: أَخْرَجَ (ʔaḵraja)
• Danish: inscenesætte
• French: mettre en scène (fr)
• German: inszenieren (de)
• Hungarian: rendez (hu)
• Norwegian: sette i scene
• Polish: inscenizować impf, zainscenizować pf
• Slovak: režírovať

to aim at

• Bulgarian: упътвам (bg) (upǎtvam), насочвам (bg) (nasočvam)
• Catalan: adreçar (ca)
• Danish: rette
• Finnish: tähdätä (fi)
• Greek: απευθύνω (el) (apefthýno), απευθύνομαι (el) (apefthýnomai) (at a person)
• Hebrew: כיוון (he) (kivén)
• Kazakh: көздеу (kk) (közdeu), кезеу (kezeu), бағыттау (bağyttau)
• Kyrgyz: жөндөө (ky) (jöndöö)
• Maori: whakangoto, whakakeko (of a gun)
• Middle English: dressen
• Persian: هدایت کردن (fa)
• Polish: kierować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: direcionar (pt)
• Russian: направля́ть (ru) impf (napravljátʹ), напра́вить (ru) pf (naprávitʹ), наце́ливать (ru) impf (nacélivatʹ), наце́лить (ru) pf (nacélitʹ)
• Slovak: mieriť, namieriť, adresovať, upriamiť
• Swedish: rikta (sv)
• Ukrainian: скеровувати (skerovuvaty)

to order

• French: ordonner (fr)
• German: befehlen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: συντάσσω (suntássō)

• Plautdietsch: befälen
• Polish: kazać (pl) impf, nakazać (pl) pf
• Slovak: nariadiť, nariaďovať

Anagrams

• Credit, credit, triced

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French direct, from Latin dīrēctus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈrɛkt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: di‧rect
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Adjective

direct (comparative directer, superlative directst)

1. direct, immediate
2. direct, blunt, frank

Declension

Declension 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

direct

1. immediately

Synonyms

• meteen
• onmiddellijk
• op stel en sprong
• rechtstreeks

 

Derived terms

• drek

Descendants

• Afrikaans: direk
• Javindo: direk, drek
• → Papiamentu: dirèkt
• → Sranan Tongo: dièkdirèk
  • → Caribbean Javanese: dirèg

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.ʁɛkt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: directe, directes, directs

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin dīrectus. Doublet of droit, which was inherited.

Adjective

direct (feminine directe, masculine plural directs, feminine plural directes)

1. direct

Noun

direct m (plural directs)

1. (media) live broadcast, live reporting

   Synonym: live

Etymology 2

From directement.

Adverb

direct

1. (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

• cas direct
• directement
• discours direct
• en direct
• faute directe
• objet direct

 

Related terms

• diriger
• directeur
• direction

See also

• droit

Further reading

• “direct”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• crédit
• décrit
• dicter

German

Adjective

direct (strong nominative masculine singular directer, comparative directer, superlative am directesten)

1. Obsolete spelling of direkt which was deprecated in 1902 following the Second Orthographic Conference of 1901.

Declension

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

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist directer	sie ist directer	es ist directer	sie sind directer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	directerer	directere	directeres	directere
	genitive	directeren	directerer	directeren	directerer
	dative	directerem	directerer	directerem	directeren
	accusative	directeren	directere	directeres	directere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der directere	die directere	das directere	die directeren
	genitive	des directeren	der directeren	des directeren	der directeren
	dative	dem directeren	der directeren	dem directeren	den directeren
	accusative	den directeren	die directere	das directere	die directeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein directerer	eine directere	ein directeres	(keine) directeren
	genitive	eines directeren	einer directeren	eines directeren	(keiner) directeren
	dative	einem directeren	einer directeren	einem directeren	(keinen) directeren
	accusative	einen directeren	eine directere	ein directeres	(keine) directeren

Superlative forms of direct

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am directesten	sie ist am directesten	es ist am directesten	sie sind am directesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	directester	directeste	directestes	directeste
	genitive	directesten	directester	directesten	directester
	dative	directestem	directester	directestem	directesten
	accusative	directesten	directeste	directestes	directeste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der directeste	die directeste	das directeste	die directesten
	genitive	des directesten	der directesten	des directesten	der directesten
	dative	dem directesten	der directesten	dem directesten	den directesten
	accusative	den directesten	die directeste	das directeste	die directesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein directester	eine directeste	ein directestes	(keine) directesten
	genitive	eines directesten	einer directesten	eines directesten	(keiner) directesten
	dative	einem directesten	einer directesten	einem directesten	(keinen) directesten
	accusative	einen directesten	eine directeste	ein directestes	(keine) directesten

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīrectus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō, dīrigere (“straighten, direct”). Compare the inherited drait, drouait.

Adjective

direct m

1. (Jersey) direct

Derived terms

• directément (“directly”)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French direct, Latin directus. Compare the inherited doublet drept.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈrekt/

Adjective

direct m or n (feminine singular directă, masculine plural direcți, feminine and neuter plural directe)

1. direct
2. head-on

Declension

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

direct

1. directly
2. straight