Webster's Dictionary 1913

3565

Directness

Di‐rect″ness (?), n. The quality of being direct; straightness; straightforwardness; immediateness.

3566

Directoire style

Di′rec′toire″ style (?). (Dressmaking) A style of dress prevalent at the time of the French Directory, characterized by great extravagance of design and imitating the Greek and ...

3567

Director

Di‐rect″or (?), n. [Cf. F. directeur.] 1. One who, or that which, directs; one who regulates, guides, or orders; a manager or superintendent.In all affairs thou sole director. S...

3568

Directorate

Di‐rect″o‐rate (?), n. [Cf. F. directorat.] The office of director; also, a body of directors taken jointly.

3569

Directorial

Di‐rec‐to″ri‐al (?), a. [Cf. F. directorial.] 1. Having the quality of a director, or authoritative guide; directive.2. Pertaining to: director or directory; specifically, relat...

3570

Directorship

Di‐rect″or‐ship (?), n. The condition or office of a director; directorate.

3571

Directory

Di‐rect″o‐ry (?), a. [L. directorius.] Containing directions; enjoining; instructing; directorial.

3572

Directory (2)

Di‐rect″o‐ry, n.; pl.Directories (�). 1. A collection or body of directions, rules, or ordinances; esp., a book of directions for the conduct of worship; as, the Directory used ...

3573

Directress

Di‐rect″ress, n. A woman who directs. Bp. Hurd.

3574

Directrix

Di‐rect″rix (?), n.; pl. E. Directrixes (�), L. Directrices (�). 1. A directress. Jer. Taylor.2. (Geom.) (a) A line along which a point in another line moves, or which in any wa...

3575

Direful

Dire″ful (?), a. [Dire + -ful.] Dire; dreadful; terrible; calamitous; woeful; as, a direful fiend; a direful day. — Dire″ful‐ly, adv. — Dire″ful‐ness, n.

3576

Direly

Dire″ly, adv. In a dire manner. Drayton.

3577

Dirempt

Di‐rempt″ (?; 215), a. [L. diremptus, p. p. of dirimere to take apart, separate; di- = dis- + emere to buy, orig., to take.] Divided; separated. Stow.

3578

Dirempt (2)

Di‐rempt″, v. t. To separate by force; to tear apart. Holinshed.

3579

Diremption

Di‐remp″tion (?), n. [L. diremptio.] A tearing apart; violent separation. Bp. Hall.

3580

Direness

Dire″ness (?), n. [Dire- + -ness.] Terribleness; horror; woefulness. Shak.

3581

Direption

Di‐rep″tion (?), n. [L. direptio, fr. diripere to tear asunder, plunder; di- = dis- + rapere to seize and carry off.] The act of plundering, despoiling, or snatching away. Speed.

3582

Direptitious

Di‐rep‐ti″tious (?), a. Characterized by direption. Encyc. Dict.

3583

Direptitiously

Di‐rep‐ti″tious‐ly, adv. With plundering violence; by violent injustice. Strype.

3584

Dirge

Dirge (?), n. [Contraction of Lat. dirige, direct thou (imperative of dirigere), the first word of a funeral hymn (Lat. transl. of Psalm v. 8) beginning, “Dirige, Domine, in con...

3585

Dirgeful

Dirge″ful (?), a. Funereal; moaning.Soothed sadly by the dirgeful wind. Coleridge.

3586

Dirige

Dir″i‐ge (?), n. [L. See Dirge.] A service for the dead, in the Roman Catholic Church, being the first antiphon of Matins for the dead, of which Dirige is the first word; a dirg...

3587

Dirigent

Dir″i‐gent (?), a. [L. dirigens, p. pr. of dirigere. See Direct, a.] Directing. Baxter.

3588

Dirigent (2)

Dir″i‐gent, n.(Geom.) The line of motion along which a describent line or surface is carried in the genesis of any plane or solid figure; a directrix. Hutton.

3589

Dirigible

Dir″i‐gi‐ble (?), a. Capable of being directed; steerable; as, a dirigible balloon.

3590

Diriment

Dir″i‐ment (?), a. [L. dirimens, p. pr. of dirimere. See Dirempt.] (Law) Absolute.Diriment impediment(R. C. Ch.), an impediment that nullifies marriage.

3591

Dirk

Dirk (?), n. [Ir. duirc.] A kind of dagger or poniard; — formerly much used by the Scottish Highlander.Dirk knife, a clasp knife having a large, dirklike blade.