direct

English

Etymology

From Latin dīrectus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō (“straighten, direct”), from dis- (“asunder, in pieces, apart, in two”) + regō (“make straight, rule”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈrɛkt/, /ˌdaɪˈrɛkt/, /dɚˈɛkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Adjective

direct (comparative directer, superlative directest)

1. Straight, constant, without 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.
   • Shakespeare

     Be even and direct with me.

4. Immediate; express; plain; unambiguous.
   • John Locke

     He nowhere, that I know, says it in direct words.

   • Hallam

     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.

Translations

Straight, constant, without interruption

• Albanian: drejtë
• Arabic: مستقيم (mustaqiim)
• Bulgarian: пряк (bg) (prjak), непосредствен (bg) (neposrédstven)
• Catalan: directe
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 直接 (zh) (zhíjiē)

• Czech: přímý (cs)
• Esperanto: rekta (eo)
• Finnish: suora (fi)
• French: direct (fr)
• Friulian: dret
• German: direkt (de), unmittelbar (de)
• Greek: άμμεσος m (ámmesos)
• Haitian Creole: dirèk

• Hindi: सीधा (sīdhā)
• Interlingua: directe
• Japanese: 直接の (ja) (ちょくせつの, chokusetsu-no)
• Latin: directus
• Maori: horipū
• Persian: مستقیم (fa) (mostaqim)
• Portuguese: directo (pt)
• Romanian: direct (ro)
• Russian: прямой (ru) (prjamój), непосредственный (ru) (neposrédstvennyj), постоянный (ru) (postojánnyj) (e.g. current)
• Spanish: directo (es)
• Swedish: direkt (sv), omedelbar (sv)
• Urdu: سیدھا (sīdhā)

Antonyms

• indirect

Derived terms

• direct action
• direct current
• direct flight
• direct initiative
• direct object
• direct quote

Adverb

direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)

1. Directly.
   • 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate 2010, p. 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

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 or show to (somebody) the right course or way; to guide, as by pointing out the way.

   He directed me to the left-hand road.

   • Lubbock

     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.

   • Shakespeare

     I'll first direct my men what they shall do.

5. (dated) To put a direction or address upon; to mark with the name and residence of the person to whom anything is sent.

   to direct a letter

Related terms

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

Translations

to manage, control, steer

• Bulgarian: ръководя (bg) (rǎkovodja), управлявам (bg) (upravljavam)
• Catalan: dirigir (ca)
• Danish: dirigere, lede
• Esperanto: gvidi
• Finnish: ohjata (fi)
• Hebrew: ניהל (nehél)

• Ido: direktar (io)
• Irish: deachtaigh
• Persian: اداره کردن (fa)
• Russian: управлять (ru) impf (upravlját')
• Spanish: dirigir (es)
• Swedish: leda (sv), styra (sv)

to aim at

• Bulgarian: упътвам (bg) (upǎtvam), насочвам (bg) (nasočvam)
• Catalan: adreçar (ca)
• Danish: rette
• Finnish: tähdätä (fi)
• Hebrew: כיוון (he) (kivén)

• Persian: هدایت کردن (fa)
• Polish: kierować (pl)
• Russian: направлять (ru) impf (napravlját'), направить (ru) pf (naprávit'), нацеливать (ru) impf (nacélivat'), нацелить (ru) pf (nacélit')
• Swedish: rikta (sv)

Anagrams

• credit
• triced

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

direct (comparative directer, superlative directst)

1. direct

Declension

Declension of direct

		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

• onmiddellijk
• meteen
• rechtstreeks

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French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /di.ʁɛkt/
• Homophone: directs

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin dīrectus. Cf. the inherited doublet droit.

Adjective

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

1. direct

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.'

Related terms

• diriger
• directeur
• direction

Derived terms

• directement
• en direct

See also

• droit

Anagrams

• crédit
• décrit
• dicter

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Jèrriais

Etymology

From Latin dīrectus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō, dīrigere (“straighten, direct”).

Adjective

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

1. direct

Derived terms

• directément (“directly”)