direct

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /daɪˈrɛkt/ UK /daɪˈɹɛkt/ See IPA manual

Freq #2389

Meanings

1

adj
Going straight from one point to another, without stops or detours.

Is there a direct flight from London to Tokyo?
2

adj
Honest and clear in speech or manner; saying exactly what you mean.

I appreciate that she gave me a direct answer.
3

adj
With nothing or no one in between.

The plants need direct sunlight to grow well.
4

adj
Being an immediate result or cause of something.

The flooding was a direct result of the heavy rain.
5

adv
Straight, without changing course.

The train goes direct to the airport.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · with nothing or no one in... unmediated

5 adv · straight, without changing... straight

More explicit patent univocal

Opposites

indirect

Word family

Forms directeddirectingdirectnessdirectsundirected

Derived forms co-directcodirectdirect-to-celldirect-to-cellphonedirect-to-cellulardirect-to-consumerdirect-to-dvddirect-to-homedirect-to-streamingdirect-to-tvdirect-to-videodirectability

Related forms adroit direction directly director dirge dirigible dress

Appears in

Phrases (6)

See all

direct contact
Communication or physical proximity without any intermediary

Adjective + noun
direct hit
an impact that strikes exactly on the intended target

Adjective + noun
direct a film
to be in charge of the creative and technical production of a film

Verb + noun
direct proportion
a relationship in which two quantities change while maintaining a constant ratio

Adjective + noun
direct quotation
someone's words repeated exactly as they originally said or wrote them

Adjective + noun
direct sunlight
sunlight reaching something without being blocked or shaded

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Direct entered English in the late Middle Ages with the sense “in a straight line.” It belongs to the family of words derived from Latin rectus, meaning “right” or “straight.”

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīrēctus, 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”).

*h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European dīrēctus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# direct

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj, adv
**IPA (US):** /daɪˈrɛkt/
**IPA (UK):** /daɪˈɹɛkt/
**Frequency rank:** 2389

## Meanings
1. Going straight from one point to another, without stops or detours.
2. Honest and clear in speech or manner; saying exactly what you mean.
3. With nothing or no one in between.
4. Being an immediate result or cause of something.
5. Straight, without changing course.

## Examples
- Is there a direct flight from London to Tokyo?
- I appreciate that she gave me a direct answer.
- The plants need direct sunlight to grow well.
- The flooding was a direct result of the heavy rain.
- The train goes direct to the airport.

## Synonyms
- explicit
- patent
- univocal

## Antonyms
- indirect

## Derived Forms
- co-direct
- codirect
- direct-to-cell
- direct-to-cellphone
- direct-to-cellular
- direct-to-consumer
- direct-to-dvd
- direct-to-home
- direct-to-streaming
- direct-to-tv
- direct-to-video
- directability

## Related Forms
- adroit
- direction
- directly
- director
- dirge
- dirigible
- dress

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₃reǵ-
- Root: dīrēctus

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dīrēctus, 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”).

## AI Etymology
direct was borrowed from Latin dīrēctus, 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”). The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-, Latin dīrēctus. Current senses include Going straight from one point to another, without stops or detours and Honest and clear in speech or manner; saying exactly what you mean. English relatives and later formations include co-direct, codirect, direct-to-cell, adroit, direction.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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