different between dictate vs directive

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dict?tus, perfect passive participle of dict? (“pronounce or declare repeatedly; dictate”), frequentative of d?c? (“say, speak”).

Pronunciation

Noun

• IPA^(key): /?d?k?te?t/

Verb

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d?k?te?t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?d?k?te?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t

Noun

dictate (plural dictates)

1. An order or command.

   I must obey the dictates of my conscience.

Translations

Verb

dictate (third-person singular simple present dictates, present participle dictating, simple past and past participle dictated)

1. To order, command, control.
   • 2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press ?ISBN, page 409,

     Trademark Owners will nevertheless try to dictate how their marks are to be represented, but dictionary publishers with spine can resist such pressure.

2. To speak in order for someone to write down the words.

3. To determine or decisively affect.

Derived terms

• dictation
• dictator

Translations

See also

• diktat

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /dik?ta?.te/, [d??k?t?ä?t??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /dik?ta.te/, [d?ik?t???t??]

Participle

dict?te

1. vocative masculine singular of dict?tus

Verb

dict?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of dict?

English

Etymology

From Middle French directif. The noun senses are from French directive (feminine form of the adjective).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /da????k.t?v/, /d????k.t?v/
• (US) IPA^(key): /d????k.t?v/
• Rhymes: -?kt?v

Adjective

directive (not comparable)

1. that directs; serving to direct, indicate, or guide
   • 2002, Colin Gray, Enterprise and Culture (page 54)

     A directive management style is stronger among owners with 'lifestyle' as a business objective than among those with business/economic objectives.

2. (grammar) relating to the directive case

Related terms

• directively
• directiveness

Translations

Noun

directive (plural directives)

1. An instruction or guideline that indicates how to perform an action or reach a goal.
2. (programming) A construct in source code that indicates how it should be processed but is not necessarily part of the program to be run.
3. An authoritative decision from an official body, which may or may not have binding force.
4. (European Union law) A form of legislative act addressed to the member states. The directive binds the member state to reach certain objectives in their national legislation.
5. (grammar) The directive case.

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.??k.tiv/
• Rhymes: -iv
• Homophone: directives

Adjective

directive

1. feminine singular of directif

Noun

directive f (plural directives)

1. directive, general instructions, guideline

Further reading

• “directive” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).