All 5 Uses of
direct
in
Running in the Family
- After the cups of tea, coffee, public conversations ...I want to sit down with someone and talk with utter directness, want to talk to all the lost history like that deserving lover.†
p. 54.9 *directness = the quality or degree of being straightforward or clear (sometimes indicating that truth is not worded carefully to spare feelings or gain advantage)
- If the subject was something as innocent as flowers, then Dr. William Charles Ondaatje, who was the Ceylonese Director of the Botanical Gardens, would throw scorn on any opinion and put the others in their place.†
p. 67.5 *standard suffix: The suffix "-or" often converts a verb to a noun that means "a person who." This is the pattern you see in words like actor, editor, and visitor.
- And driven that jeep so often I didn't have time to watch the country slide by thick with event, for everything came directly to me and passed me like snow.†
p. 70.1 *directly = immediately
- My father had never driven to Colombo directly in his life.†
p. 35.5
- Whatever plays my mother acted in publicly were not a patch on the real-life drama she directed and starred in during her married life.†
p. 171.5
Definitions:
-
(1)
(direct as in: directly above; or buy direct) without anything in between -- whether in time, space, or involvement
-
(2)
(direct as in: gave a direct answer) straightforward -- often clear, open, or blunt in speech or behavior
-
(3)
(direct as in: direct a question; or direct a film) to guide, aim, or manage -- such as actions, attention, speech, a project or company
-
(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Direct can take on many specialized meanings not included in this dictionary.As an adjective or adverb, direct usually means there is a clear or straight connection with nothing in the way. It can also mean easy to understand, without confusion. For example:- Direct action – taking quick and clear steps to make something happen
- Direct descendant – someone who comes straight from an ancestor, like a grandchild
- Direct line (in genealogy) – a family connection that goes straight from one generation to the next
- Direct deposit – money that is sent straight into a bank account
- Direct object – in a sentence, the person or thing that receives the action of the verb
- Direct kick – in sports, a kick where the ball can go straight into the goal without touching another player
- Direct cost – a cost that comes straight from making a product or providing a service
- Direct investment – putting money directly into a company or project
- Direct elections – when people vote for leaders without going through an extra step
- Direct current (DC) – a type of electric flow that moves in only one direction
As a verb, most all of the senses of direct involve giving orders or aiming.