direct 
5. In music, to conduct ; lead (a company of 
vocal or instrumental performers) as conduc- 
tor or director. 6. To superscribe ; write tho 
name and address of the recipient on ; address : 
as, to dinvl a letter or a package. 
Kir ritiiiitt. Carry It to my I-ady. . . . 
Boy. 'Tis directed to your Worship. 
Conyreve, Double- Denier, Hi. 7. 
7. To aim or point at, as discourse ; address. 
Words sweetly plac'd, and modestly directed. 
Shall., 1 Hen. VI., v. 8. 
O moral Oower, this boke I direct 
To the. Chaucer, Trollus, I. 
8. In astral., to calculate the arc of the equa- 
tor between the siguificator and tho promoter. 
Directed light line, a Hue which is regarded as dif 
ferentiutttl in respect to tho distinction between the two 
directions in which It nilKlit be passed over by a moving 
point. = Syn. 3. Guidf, Sirai/(see puttie); Conduct, etc. (see 
nuituiye and govern)', to dispose, rule, command (see en- 
join), control. 
II. intrans. 1. To act as a guide ; point out 
a course ; exercise power or authority in guid- 
ing. 
Wisdom is profitable to direct. Eccl. x. 10. 
lie controls ami directs ataolutely. 
If. A. Rev., CXLII. 592. 
2. In m iif.it-, to act as director or conductor, 
direct (di-rekt'), n. [< direct, .] In musical 
nutation, the sign ~xv placed at the end of a staff 
or of a page to indicate to the performer the 
position of the first note of the next staff or 
page. 
direct (di-rekt'), adv. [< ME. direete; < direct, 
a.~\ In a direct manner; directly; straight: 
as, he went direct to the point. 
And faire Venus, the beaute of the night, 
Upraise, and set vnto the west ful right 
Her golden face In oppositloun 
Of God Phebus direete discending clown. 
Henry -son, Testament of Cresslda, 1. 14. 
direct-action (di-rekt'ak'shon), a. In meek., 
characterized by direct action : a term applied 
to engines which have the piston-rod or cross- 
head connected directly to, or by a connecting- 
rod with, the crank, dispensing with working- 
beams and side levers: as, & direct-action steam- 
engine. A rectilinear motion of the piston Is Insured by 
a cross-head at the end of the piston-rod, which slides in 
parallel guides, or, In the case of the oscillating engine, 
the cylinder vibrates In accordance with the movement of 
the crank. Special types of direct-action engines are the 
annular double-cylinder, double-piston, inclined-cylinder, 
inverted-cylinder, oscillating, sliding-cover, steeple-, and 
trunk-engines. Also applied to steam-pumps which have 
the steam-piston connected by the piston-rod directly to 
the pump-piston or plunger, and which have valve-gear 
that prevents stopping on what is called the dead-center. 
Such pumps work without cranks or fly-wheels. 
direct-draft (di-rekt'draft), a. Having a single 
direct flue : applied to steam-boilers. 
director (di-rek'ter),n. See director. 
directing (di-rek'ting), p. a. [Ppr. of direct, .] 
Giving or affording direction; guiding Direct- 
ing circle. See;/fri'.>M. Directing plane, in perepectire, 
a plane passing through the point of sight parallel to the 
plane of the picture. Directing point, in perspective, 
the point where any original line meets the directing plane. 
direction (di-rek'shon), n. [= F. direction = 
Sp. direccion = Pg"direecSo = It. direzione = 
D. directie = Q. direction = Dan. Sw. direction, 
< L. directio(n-), a making straight, a straight 
line, a directing (toward anything), < dirigere, 
pp. directus, direct: see direct.] 1. Relative po- 
sition considered without regard to linear dis- 
tance. The direction of anoint, A, from another point, B, 
Is or is not the same as the direction of a point, C, from an- 
other point, D, according as a straight line drawn from B 
through A and continued to infinity would or we ml.l ..,.t nit 
thecelestial sphere at the same point asastraight line drawn 
from OthroughOandalsocontinued to infinity. Every mo- 
tion of apoint has a determinate direction ; for if any motion 
from any instant were to lose all curvature, it would tend 
toward a determinate point of the celestial sphere, which 
would tli'lii h- its direction at the instant when it ceased to 
be deflected. It is Inaccurate to say that a line has a 
determinate direction, because a motion along that line 
has either one of two opposite directions. Yet the word 
dirtvtion is sometimes used in a loose sense in which, op- 
posite directions not being distinguished, the direction of 
a line is spoken of, meaning the pair of opposite directions. 
The direction of a star 13 seen at a glance, while the 
most profound science and the most accurate observations 
have not enabled the astronomer to ascertain its distance. 
B. Peirce. 
The direction in which a force tends to make the point 
to which it is applied move is called the direction of the 
force. R. S. Bail, Exper. Mechanics, p. 5. 
Hence 2. The act of governing; adminis- 
tration; management; guidance; superinten- 
dence: as, the direction of public affairs, of do- 
mestic concerns, of a bank, of conscience; to 
study under the ilinction of a tutor. 
1 put myself to thy direction. Shat. , Macbeth, iv. 3. 
1037 
All nature is but art unknown to thee, 
All chance, directitm which thou canst not see. 
1'ope, Essay on Man, 1. 291. 
3. Tho act of direr-ting, aiming, pointing, or 
applying: as. the direction of good works to a 
good end. 4. The end or object toward which 
something is directed. 6. An order; a pre- 
scription, either verbal or written ; instruction 
in what manner to proceed. 
lago hath direction what to do. Shat., Othello, ii. 3. 
The next day there was also a leny for the repairing two 
Forts : but that labour tooke not such effect as was in- 
tended, for want of good direction*. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's True Travels, II. 140. 
Follow but our direction, and we will accommodate mat- 
ters. Goldsmith, The Bee, No. 5. 
6. In equity pleading, that part of the bill con- 
taining the address to the court. 7. In music, 
the act or office of a conductor or director. 8. 
A superscription, as on a letter or package, 
directing to whom and where it is to be sent ; 
an address. 
These letters [Lord Chesterfield's) retain their directions 
and wax seals, and bear the postmarks of the period . 
X. and Q., 7th er., II. 425. 
9. A body or board of directors; a directorate. 
10. In astral., the difference of right or 
oblique ascension between the significator and 
promoter Angle of direction. See angle*. Direc- 
tion cosine, the cosine of the angle which a given direc- 
tion makes with that of one of a system of rectangular 
coordinates in space. Direction of the dip. See tit,.. 
Direction ratio, the ratio of one of the three oblique 
coordinates of a point to the distance of the point from 
the origin. Line of direction, (a) In gun., the direct 
line in which a piece Is pointed. (6) In mech. : (1) The 
line in which a body moves or tends to proceed, according 
to the force impressed upon it. Thus, if a l>ody falls freely 
by gravity, Its line of direction is a line perpendicular to 
the horizon, or one which, if produced, would pass through 
the earth's center. (2) A line drawn from the center of 
gravity of any body perpendicular to the horizon. = Syn. 
2. Oversight, government, control. 
directional (di-rek'shpn-al), a. [< direction + 
-al.~] Pertaining or relating to direction. 
The directional character of the properties of the ray, 
on account of its analogy to the direetio>ial character of a 
magnet or an electric current, suggested the idea of po- 
larity. Spottifwoode, Polarisation, p. 5. 
Directional coefficient. See coefficient. 
directitudet (di-rek'ti-tud), n. A word used 
in burlesque in the following passage, which 
appears to contain some allusion not now in- 
telligible. 
3d Sen. Which friends, sir, (as it were,) durst not (look 
you, sir) show themselves (as we term it) his friends while 
he's in directitttde. 
lit Sen. Directitude ! what's that? Shot., Cor., Iv. 5. 
directive (di-rek'tiv), a. [= F. directif = Sp. 
Pg. directivo = It. direttivo, < ML. directirus 
(in the phrase directiva litera, a letter address- 
ed), < L. directus, pp. of dirigere, direct : see 
direct.'] 1. Having the power of directing; 
causing to take or occupy a certain direction. 
A compass-needle experiences from the earth's mag- 
netism sensibly a couple (or directive) action, and Is not 
sensibly attracted or repelled as a whole. 
Thomson antl Tail, Nat. Phil., 5 563. 
2. Pointing out the proper direction; guiding; 
prescribing ; indicating. 
Nor visited by one directive ray, 
From cottage streaming, or from airy hall. 
Thomson. 
The very objects of speculative contemplation being 
selected and created under the directive Influences of some 
deep-seated want. 
0. H. Lewes, Probs. of Life and Mind, II. ill. 2. 
It Is the office of the inverse symbol to propose a ques- 
tion, not to describe an operation. It is, in its primary 
meaning, interrogative, not directive. 
Boole, Differential Equations, p. 377. 
3f. Capable of being directed, managed, or 
handled. 
Limbs are his instruments, 
In no less working, than are swords and bows 
Directive by the limbs. Shale., 1. and C., L 3. 
4. Dealing with direction : as, directive algebra. 
Directive corpuscle, an apoblast (which see). 
directly (di-rekt'li), adi: 1. In a straight line 
or course, literally or figuratively; in the natu- 
ral and primitive way : as, aim directly at the 
object ; gravity tends directly to the center of 
the earth. In mechanics a body is said to strike or im- 
pinge directly against another when the stroke is in a direc- 
tion perpendicular to the surface at the point of contact. 
Also, a sphere is said to strike directly against another 
when the line of direction passes through both their cen- 
ters. Two equal flat pencils in the same plane or parallel 
planes are said to be directly equal when they could be 
generated by equal displacements of rays, these displace- 
ments l>eing in the same direction of rotation. 
2. In a direct manner: without the interven- 
tion of any medium ; immediately. 
All (the ancient Greeks] who were qualified to vote at 
all voted directly, and not through representatives, iu the 
greatest affairs of state. 
. A. Freeman, Amer. LecU., p. 273, 
directory 
It is manifest that lu-fun the development of conunene, 
and while IMMSCSHJOII of land conl.l :i|..n< -it e largeDOl of 
means, lordship a in I riches \\civ >/>/< '// connected. 
//. 4MMW, I'rin. of S.ciol., |462. 
3. Straightway; without delay ; immediately; 
at once ; presently : as, he will be with us 
directly. 
He will directly to the lords, I fear. 
Milton, S. A., 1. 1260. 
(In this sense directly, when it happens to precede a de- 
pendent temporal clause, often assumes, by the improper 
omission of the temporal conjunction vhrn or at, the ap- 
parent office of a conjunction. when," "as soon as." It 
is more common in English than in American use. 
Directly he stopped, the coffin was removed by four men. 
Dickeni.\ 
4. Clearly; unmistakably; expressly; with- 
out circumlocution or ambiguity. 
That wise Solon was directly a Poet, It Is manifest, hau- 
ing written in verse the notable fable of the Atlantick 
Hand. Sir P. Sidney, Apol. for 1'oetrle. 
We found our Sea cards most directly false. 
Quoted In Capt. Jo>m Smith'* True Travels, 1. 109. 
I never directly defame, but I do what is as bad in the 
consequence. Steele, Spectator, No. 136. 
Directly proportional. In math. See proportional. 
= Syn. 3. Promptly, instantly, quickly. 4. Absolutely, 
unambiguously. 
directness (di-rekt'nes), n. 1. Straightness ; 
a straight course. Sheridan. 2. Straightfor- 
wardness; openness; freedom from ambiguity. 
I like much their robust simplicity, their veracity, di- 
rectness of conception. Carlylc. 
director (di-rek'tor), n. [= F. directeur (> D. 
directeur = Dan. Sw. direktor) = G. director = 
Sp. Pg. director = It. direttore, < NL. director, 
< L. dirigere, pp. directus, direct: see direct. ,] 
1. One who directs; one who guides, superin- 
tends, governs, or manages. 
Nature hath some director of infinite knowledge to guide 
her in all her ways. Hooker, Eccles. Polity, i. 3. 
Specifically (a) One of a number of persons, appointed 
or elected under provision of law, having authority to 
manage and direct the affairs of a corporation or company. 
All the directors collectively constitute a board o/ directors. 
They are agents of the corporation, and not of the stock* 
holders. Generally they are elected for one year, (b) In 
MIMIC, the leader or conductor of a company of vocal or 
instrumental performers : as, a choir director; an orches- 
tral director. 
2. Anything that directs or controls. 
Common forms were not design'd 
Directors to a noble mind. Sn-(ft. 
Safety from external danger is the most powerful di- 
rffi'ir of national conduct A. Hamilton. 
Specifically (a) In ntrg., a grooved probe, intended to 
direct the edge of the knife or scissors in opening si* 
nuses or fistula; or making incisions generally, (o) In elect., 
a metallic instrument on a glass handle connected by a 
chain with the pole of a battery, ami applied to the part of 
the body to which a shock is to be sent Director circle. 
See circle. 
Sometimes spelled directer. 
directorate (di-rek'to-rat), n. [= F. directorat; 
as director + -atc&.~\ '!.' The office of a director. 
2. A body of directors. 
directorial (dir-ek-to'ri-al), a. [< director + 
-ial.] 1. That directs; invested with direction 
or control. 
The emperor's power in the collective body, or the diet, 
is not directorial, but executive. 
IT. Outhrie, Oeog., Germany. 
2. Belonging to a director or a body of direc- 
tors, as the French Directory, 
directoiizet (di-rek'to-riz), v. t. [< directory + 
-ire.] To bring under the power or authority 
of a directory (in the extract, of the Presby- 
terian Directory for Public Worship). 
These were to do the Journey work of Presbytery, . . . 
undertaking to Dircctorizc, to Unliturgize, to Catechize, 
and to Disciplinize their Brethren. 
Bp. Gauden, Tears of the Church, p. 609. 
directorship (di-rek'tor-ship), n. [< director + 
-ship.'} The condition or office of a director. 
MicUe. 
directory (di-rek'to-ri), a. and n. [= F. direc- 
toire = Sp. Pg. directorio = It. direttorio, < LL. 
directorius, serving to direct, ML. NL. neut. 
directoriitm, a directory, < L. directus, pp. of 
iliriiiti-t, direct : see direct.'] I. a. Guiding or 
directing; directive. 
This needle the mariners call their directory needle. 
J. Greyory, Poethuma (1650), p. 281. 
I must practise a general directory and revisory power 
in the matter. Lincoln, in Raymond, p. 361. 
Directory statute, a statute or part of a statute which 
operates merely as advice or direction to the official or 
other person who is to do something pointed out, leaving 
the act or omission not destructive of the legality of what 
is done in disregard of the direction. Bi*hop. 
II. n.; pi. directories (-riz). 1. A guide; a 
rule to direct; particularly (eccles.), a book of 
directions for saving the various church of- 
fices and for finding the changes in them re- 
