2. Evil in great degree; dreadful; dismal; horrible; terrible; lamentable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dire was the tossing, deep the groans. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gorgons and hydras and chimeras dire. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

What is direct to, what slides by, the question. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Straightforward; not of crooked ways, or swerving from truth and openness; sincere; outspoken. [ 1913 Webster ]

Be even and direct with me. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Immediate; express; plain; unambiguous. [ 1913 Webster ]

He nowhere, that I know, says it in direct words. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

A direct and avowed interference with elections. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. In the line of descent; not collateral; as, a descendant in the direct line. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Astron.) 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Political Science) Pertaining to, or effected immediately by, action of the people through their votes instead of through one or more representatives or delegates; as, direct nomination, direct legislation. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Direct action. (a) (Mach.) See Direct-acting. (b) (Trade unions) See Syndicalism, below. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ] --
Direct discourse (Gram.), the language of any one quoted without change in its form; as, he said “I can not come;” -- correlative to indirect discourse, in which there is change of form; as, he said that he could not come. They are often called respectively by their Latin names, oratio directa, and oratio obliqua. --
Direct evidence (Law), evidence which is positive or not inferential; -- opposed to circumstantial evidence, or indirect evidence. -- This distinction, however, is merely formal, since there is no direct evidence that is not circumstantial, or dependent on circumstances for its credibility. Wharton. --
Direct examination (Law), the first examination of a witness in the orderly course, upon the merits. Abbott. --
Direct fire (Mil.), fire, the direction of which is perpendicular to the line of troops or to the parapet aimed at. --
Direct process (Metal.), one which yields metal in working condition by a single process from the ore. Knight. --
Direct tax, a tax assessed directly on lands, etc., and polls, distinguished from taxes on merchandise, or customs, and from excise. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wisdom is profitable to direct. Eccl. x. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To point out or show to (any one), as the direct or right course or way; to guide, as by pointing out the way; as, he directed me to the left-hand road. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Lord direct your into the love of God. 2 Thess. iii. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

The next points to which I will direct your attention. Lubbock. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To determine the direction or course of; to cause to go on in a particular manner; to order in the way to a certain end; to regulate; to govern; as, to direct the affairs of a nation or the movements of an army. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will direct their work in truth. Is. lxi. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To point out to with authority; to instruct as a superior; to order; as, he directed them to go. [ 1913 Webster ]

I 'll first direct my men what they shall do. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To put a direction or address upon; to mark with the name and residence of the person to whom anything is sent; to superscribe; as, to direct a letter.

Syn. -- To guide; lead; conduct; dispose; manage; regulate; order; instruct; command. [ 1913 Webster ]

Direct-acting steam engine, one in which motion is transmitted to the crank without the intervention of a beam or lever; -- also called direct-action steam engine. --
Direct-acting steam pump, one in which the steam piston rod is directly connected with the pump rod; -- also called direct-action steam pump. [ 1913 Webster ]

Direct-coupled antenna (Wireless Teleg.), an antenna connected electrically with one point of a closed oscillation circuit in syntony with it and earthed. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. marked with a destination; -- of mail or parcels; as, I throw away all mail directed to `resident'. Opposite of unaddressed.
Syn. -- addressed. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

Directer plane (Geom.), the plane to which all right-lined elements in a warped surface are parallel. [ 1913 Webster ]

I do commit his youth
To your direction. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;
ll chance, direction, which thou canst not see. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is imposed by directing; a guiding or authoritative instruction; prescription; order; command; as, he grave directions to the servants. [ 1913 Webster ]

The princes digged the well . . . by the direction of the law giver. Numb. xxi. 18. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The name and residence of a person to whom any thing is sent, written upon the thing sent; superscription; address; as, the direction of a letter. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The line or course upon which anything is moving or aimed to move, or in which anything is lying or pointing; aim; line or point of tendency; direct line or course; as, the ship sailed in a southeasterly direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The body of managers of a corporation or enterprise; board of directors. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Gun.) The pointing of a piece with reference to an imaginary vertical axis; -- distinguished from elevation. The direction is given when the plane of sight passes through the object. Wilhelm.

Syn. -- Administration; guidance; management; superintendence; oversight; government; order; command; guide; clew. Direction, Control, Command, Order. These words, as here compared, have reference to the exercise of power over the actions of others. Control is negative, denoting power to restrain; command is positive, implying a right to enforce obedience; directions are commands containing instructions how to act. Order conveys more prominently the idea of authority than the word direction. A shipmaster has the command of his vessel; he gives orders or directions to the seamen as to the mode of sailing it; and exercises a due control over the passengers. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. serving to indicate direction. [ PJC ]

3. (Radio) transmitting radio signals in a specific direction, or receiving signals only from a narrow angle of directions, thus serving to indicate the direction from which radio signals are coming. Used of antennas; as, a directional antenna. [ PJC ]

The precepts directive of our practice in relation to God. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Able to be directed; manageable. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Swords and bows
Directive by the limbs. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Indirectly and directly too
Thou hast contrived against the very life
Of the defendant. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a straightforward way; without anything intervening; not by secondary, but by direct, means. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Without circumlocution or ambiguity; absolutely; in express terms. [ 1913 Webster ]

No man hath hitherto been so impious as plainly and directly to condemn prayer. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Exactly; just. [ 1913 Webster ]

Stand you directly in Antonius' way. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Straightforwardly; honestly. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have dealt most directly in thy affair. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Manifestly; openly. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Desdemona is directly in love with him. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Straightway; next in order; without delay; immediately. “Will she go now to bed?' &unr_;Directly.'” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Immediately after; as soon as. [ 1913 Webster ]

Directly he stopped, the coffin was removed. Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This use of the word is common in England, especially in colloquial speech, but it can hardly be regarded as a well-sanctioned or desirable use. [ 1913 Webster ]

Directly proportional (Math.), proportional in the order of the terms; increasing or decreasing together, and with a constant ratio; -- opposed to inversely proportional.

Syn. -- Immediately; forthwith; straightway; instantly; instantaneously; soon; promptly; openly; expressly. -- Directly, Immediately, Instantly, Instantaneously. Directly denotes, without any delay or diversion of attention; immediately implies, without any interposition of other occupation; instantly implies, without any intervention of time. Hence, “I will do it directly, ” means, “I will go straightway about it.” “I will do it immediately, ” means, “I will do it as the very next thing.” “I will do it instantly, ” allows not a particle of delay. Instantaneously, like instantly, marks an interval too small to be appreciable, but commonly relates to physical causes; as, the powder touched by fire instantaneously exploded. [ 1913 Webster ]

In all affairs thou sole director. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of a body of persons appointed to manage the affairs of a company or corporation; as, the directors of a bank, insurance company, or railroad company. [ 1913 Webster ]

What made directors cheat in South-Sea year? Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mech.) A part of a machine or instrument which directs its motion or action. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Surg.) A slender grooved instrument upon which a knife is made to slide when it is wished to limit the extent of motion of the latter, or prevent its injuring the parts beneath. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Pertaining to: director or directory; specifically, relating to the Directory of France under the first republic. See Directory, 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whoever goes to the directorial presence under this passport. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A book containing the names and residences of the inhabitants of any place, or of classes of them; an address book; as, a business directory. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. [ Cf. F. directoire. ] A body of directors; board of management; especially, a committee which held executive power in France under the first republic. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Direction; guide. [ R. ] Whitlock. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geom.) (a) A line along which a point in another line moves, or which in any way governs the motion of the point and determines the position of the curve generated by it; the line along which the generatrix moves in generating a surface. (b) A straight line so situated with respect to a conic section that the distance of any point of the curve from it has a constant ratio to the distance of the same point from the focus. [ 1913 Webster ]

The raven croaked, and hollow shrieks of owls
Sung dirges at her funeral. Ford. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soothed sadly by the dirgeful wind. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

Evensongs and placebo and dirige. Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

Resort, I pray you, unto my sepulture
To sing my dirige with great devotion. Lamentation of Mary Magdalene. [ 1913 Webster ]