# direct

Pronunciation: say "dy-REKT" /daɪˈɹɛkt/

## Adjective

1. Following a straight or uninterrupted course from one point to another, without bends, detours, or breaks.
   - Simple: Going straight from one point to another without turning aside or a break along the way.
   - _The pilot chose the most direct route across the mountains to save fuel._
   - _A direct line between the two towns would cut the journey in half._
7. Of a person or what they say: expressing what is meant clearly and openly, without ambiguity or evasion.
   - Simple: Saying what you mean clearly and openly, without hiding it or avoiding the point.
   - _The committee wanted a direct response to its questions, not vague promises._
   - _His direct refusal left no doubt about where he stood._
8. Sold under a single flight number, even though the aircraft may make one or more intermediate stops.
   - Simple: Using one flight number, even if the plane stops along the way.
   - _Our ticket said direct flight, but the plane landed in Dallas to pick up more passengers before going on to Miami._
   - _Travelers often confuse a direct flight with a nonstop one._
10. Decided or carried out by the people's own votes rather than through elected representatives or delegates.
   - Simple: Decided by people voting themselves, not by chosen representatives.
   - _A referendum is a form of direct democracy in which voters decide an issue themselves._
   - _Two Swiss cantons still practice direct democracy through an open-air assembly of citizens._
11. Belonging to the line of descent from parent to child, rather than through a side branch of the family.
   - Simple: Going straight down a family line from parent to child.
   - _Only direct descendants could inherit the title under the old law._
   - _He traced his direct line back six generations to a single ancestor._
9. Happening or done with no go-between, intermediate stage, or other factor coming in between.
   - Simple: Happening or done with no other person, step, or thing in between.
   - _The layoffs were a direct consequence of the merger._
   - _The new app lets buyers make direct payments to farmers, cutting out the wholesaler._

## Verb

2. To manage, control, or steer the course of something, including being in charge of making a film, play, or show.
   - Simple: To manage or control something, or to be in charge of making a film, play, or show.
   - _She directed her first feature film at twenty-six._
   - _The new manager was hired to direct daily operations at the plant._
4. To aim something so that it points at a particular object or target.
   - Simple: To point or aim something toward a particular target or place.
   - _The crew directed the spotlight at the stage entrance._
   - _Firefighters direct their hoses at the roof to stop the fire spreading._
5. To instruct or order someone with authority, as a superior tells a subordinate.
   - Simple: To give someone an order, telling them what they must do.
   - _The general directed his troops to hold the line at all costs._
   - _Regulations direct employers to provide safety training._
6. To guide someone toward the right way or place by pointing it out, or to refer them elsewhere.
   - Simple: To show someone which way to go or where to find something.
   - _If you're unsure, ask a staff member to direct you to the right counter._
   - _The officer directed the lost tourists toward the main square._

## Adverb

3. Straight to a destination or person, without intermediate steps or stops.
   - Simple: Straight from one place to another, without stopping or going through anything else.
   - _The shipment goes direct to the customer, skipping the warehouse._
   - _She flew direct to Paris without changing planes._

## Verb

12. To write the name and address on a letter, sending it to a particular person or place. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To write the address on a letter so it reaches the right person.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Moving from west to east in the usual direction of planetary motion, rather than retrograde.
- (adjective) Of a proof: reasoning straight from the premises to the conclusion, rather than by contradiction or by proving the contrapositive.

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin dīrectus, the perfect passive participle of dīrigō ("to straighten, direct"), formed from dis- ("apart, asunder") plus regō ("to make straight, rule"). It is a doublet of derecho and is related to the word dress.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/direct (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).