EDGE / 0782continuationestablished

A CLAIM
YOU CAN AUDIT.

A relationship—not a generated explanation. Both endpoints, every editorial field, every citation, and every dossier reuse are preserved below.

direct

guide, aim, command, straight, immediate

DESCENDS FROM→

guide, address, point, direct

THE COMPLETE RELATIONSHIP

SOUND CHANGE

Modern direct continues Middle English directen with loss of the infinitive ending and stabilized modern spelling.

SEMANTIC CHANGE

Guiding, aiming, ordering, straightness, and immediacy expand across verb, adjective, and adverb functions.

CHRONOLOGY

Merriam-Webster reports the verb in the fourteenth century.

SCHOLAR / EDITORIAL AUTHORITY

Merriam-Webster Editors · American Heritage Dictionary Editors

CONFIDENCE

established — no additional confidence note is attached.

EDITORIAL STATUS

reviewed

CITATION REGISTER

S01

Direct — Definition, Word History, and First Known UseDefinitions, Word History, and First Known Use

Supplies the polyfunctionality, Middle English history, and fourteenth-century horizon.

supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗

S02

Direct — American Heritage DictionaryHeadword definitions and etymology

Independently preserves straightness, guidance, command, and immediacy.

contextAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗

EDITORIAL REUSE

direct → directen