different between direct vs plain
direct
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin d?rectus, perfect passive participle of d?rig? (“straighten, direct”), from dis- (“asunder, in pieces, apart, in two”) + reg? (“make straight, rule”). Compare dress.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d(a)????kt/, /d????kt/, /da??????kt/
- Rhymes: -?kt
- Hyphenation: di?rect
Adjective
direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)
- Proceeding without deviation or interruption.
- Straight; not crooked, oblique, or circuitous; leading by the short or shortest way to a point or end.
- Straightforward; sincere.
- Immediate; express; plain; unambiguous.
- He nowhere, that I know, says it in direct words.
- 1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England
- a direct and avowed interference with elections
- In the line of descent; not collateral.
- (astronomy) 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.
- (political science) Pertaining to, or effected immediately by, action of the people through their votes instead of through one or more representatives or delegates.
- (aviation, travel) having a single flight number.
Synonyms
- (proceeding uninterrupted): immediate
- (express, plain, unambiguous): explicit, patent, univocal; see also Thesaurus:explicit
Antonyms
- indirect
Derived terms
Translations
Adverb
direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)
- Directly.
- 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate 2010, p. 346:
- Presumably Mary is to carry messages that she, Anne, is too delicate to convey direct.
- 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate 2010, p. 346:
Verb
direct (third-person singular simple present directs, present participle directing, simple past and past participle directed)
- To manage, control, steer.
- to direct the affairs of a nation or the movements of an army
- To aim (something) at (something else).
- They directed their fire towards the men on the wall.
- He directed his question to the room in general.
- To point out or show to (somebody) the right course or way; to guide, as by pointing out the way.
- He directed me to the left-hand road.
- 1882, John Lubbock, Flowers, Fruits and Leaves
- the next points to which I will direct your attention
- To point out to with authority; to instruct as a superior; to order.
- She directed them to leave immediately.
- (dated) To put a direction or address upon; to mark with the name and residence of the person to whom anything is sent.
- to direct a letter
Derived terms
- co-direct, codirect
- misdirect
- redirect
Related terms
Translations
Anagrams
- Credit, credit, triced
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French direct, from Latin d?r?ctus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di?r?kt/
- Hyphenation: di?rect
- Rhymes: -?kt
Adjective
direct (comparative directer, superlative directst)
- direct, immediate
- direct, blunt, frank
Inflection
Adverb
direct
- immediately
Synonyms
- onmiddellijk
- meteen
- rechtstreeks
Derived terms
- drek
Descendants
- Afrikaans: direk
- ? Papiamentu: dirèkt
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di.??kt/
- Homophones: directe, directes, directs
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Latin d?rectus. Doublet of droit, which was inherited.
Adjective
direct (feminine singular directe, masculine plural directs, feminine plural directes)
- direct
Etymology 2
From directement.
Adverb
direct
- (colloquial) directly
- Si t'as pas envie d'y aller, dis-le direct.
- 'If you don't want to go, say it straight up.'
- Si t'as pas envie d'y aller, dis-le direct.
Derived terms
Related terms
- diriger
- directeur
- direction
See also
- droit
Anagrams
- crédit
- décrit
- dicter
Further reading
- “direct” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Norman
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin d?rectus, perfect passive participle of d?rig?, d?rigere (“straighten, direct”). Compare the inherited drait, drouait.
Adjective
direct m
- (Jersey) direct
Derived terms
- directément (“directly”)
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French direct, Latin directus. Compare the inherited doublet drept.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di?rekt/
Adjective
direct m or n (feminine singular direct?, masculine plural direc?i, feminine and neuter plural directe)
- direct
- head-on
Declension
Adverb
direct
- directly
- straight
direct From the web:
- what direction does the nile river flow
- what direction am i facing
- what direction does the sunrise
- what direction does the earth rotate
- what direction is the wind blowing
- what direction does the sunset
- what direction is an undefined slope
- what direction does the moon rise
plain
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: pl?n, IPA(key): /ple?n/, [p?l?e?n]
- Rhymes: -e?n
- Homophone: plane
Etymology 1
From Middle English pleyn, borrowed from Anglo-Norman pleyn, playn, Middle French plain, plein, and Old French plain, from Latin pl?nus (“flat, even, level, plain”).
Alternative forms
- plaine (obsolete)
Adjective
plain (comparative plainer, superlative plainest)
- (now rare, regional) Flat, level. [from 14th c.]
- The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
- Simple.
- Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished. [from 14th c.]
- Of just one colour; lacking a pattern.
- Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary. [from 16th c.]
- 1654, Henry Hammond, Of Fundamentals
- plain yet pious Christians
- 1861, Abraham Lincoln, Message to Congress in Special Session, July 4th
- the plain people
- 1654, Henry Hammond, Of Fundamentals
- (of food) Having only few ingredients, or no additional ingredients or seasonings; not elaborate, without toppings or extras. [from 17th c.]
- (computing) Containing no extended or nonprinting characters (especially in plain text). [from 20th c.]
- Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished. [from 14th c.]
- Obvious.
- Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, clear, unmistakable. [from 14th c.]
- 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. XV, Practical — Devotional
- In fact, by excommunication or persuasion, by impetuosity of driving or adroitness in leading, this Abbot, it is now becoming plain everywhere, is a man that generally remains master at last.
- 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. XV, Practical — Devotional
- Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier). [from 14th c.]
- Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, clear, unmistakable. [from 14th c.]
- Open.
- Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt. [from 14th c.]
- The Quaker was no sooner assured by this fellow of the birth and low fortune of Jones, than all compassion for him vanished; and the honest plain man went home fired with no less indignation than a duke would have felt at receiving an affront from such a person.
- Clear; unencumbered; equal; fair.
- 1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics
- Our troops beat an army in plain fight.
- 1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics
- Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt. [from 14th c.]
- Not unusually beautiful; unattractive. [from 17th c.]
- (card games) Not a trump.
Synonyms
- (lacking adornment or ornamentation): no-frills, simple, unadorned, unseasoned; see also Thesaurus:bare-bones
- (of just one colour): monochrome
- (not exceptional): normal, ordinary
- (obvious): blatant, ostensible; see also Thesaurus:obvious or Thesaurus:explicit
- (intensifier): consarn, darned, stinking; see also Thesaurus:damned
- (honest and without deception): frank, sincere; see also Thesaurus:honest
Antonyms
- bells and whistles
- decorative
- exotic
- fancy
- ornate
Derived terms
Related terms
- plane
- planar
Translations
Adverb
plain (not comparable)
- (colloquial) Simply.
- It was just plain stupid.
- I plain forgot.
- (archaic) Plainly; distinctly.
- Tell me plain: do you love me or no?
Etymology 2
From Anglo-Norman plainer, pleiner, variant of Anglo-Norman and Old French pleindre, plaindre, from Latin plangere, present active infinitive of plang?.
Alternative forms
- plein
Noun
plain (plural plains)
- (rare, poetic) A lamentation.
- 1815, Sir Walter Scott, The Lady of the Isles, Canto IV, part IX
- The warrior-threat, the infant's plain,
The mother's screams, were heard in vain;
- The warrior-threat, the infant's plain,
- 1815, Sir Walter Scott, The Lady of the Isles, Canto IV, part IX
Verb
plain (third-person singular simple present plains, present participle plaining, simple past and past participle plained)
- (reflexive, obsolete) To complain. [13th–19th c.]
- c. 1390, William Landland, Piers Plowman, Prologue:
- Persones and parisch prestes · pleyned hem to þe bischop / Þat here parisshes were pore · sith þe pestilence tyme […].
- c. 1390, William Landland, Piers Plowman, Prologue:
- (transitive, intransitive, now rare, poetic) To lament, bewail. [from 14th c.]
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir J. Harrington to this entry?)
- c. 1600, Joseph Hall, Satires
- Thy mother could thee for thy cradle set
Her husband's rusty iron corselet;
Whose jargling sound might rock her babe to rest,
That never plain'd of his uneasy nest.
- Thy mother could thee for thy cradle set
- 1936, Alfred Edward Housman, More Poems, "XXV", lines 5–9
- Then came I crying, and to-day, / With heavier cause to plain, / Depart I into death away, / Not to be born again.
Related terms
Etymology 3
From Old French plain, from Latin pl?num (“level ground, a plain”), neuter substantive from pl?nus (“level, even, flat”). Doublet of llano, piano, and plane.
Noun
plain (plural plains)
- An expanse of land with relatively low relief, usually exclusive of forests, deserts, and wastelands.
- 1961, J. A. Philip. Mimesis in the Sophistês of Plato. In: Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association 92. p. 467.
- For Plato the life of the philosopher is a life of struggle towards the goal of knowledge, towards “searching the heavens and measuring the plains, in all places seeking the nature of everything as a whole”
- Synonyms: flatland, grassland
- Hypernyms: land, terrain
- Hyponyms: prairie, steppe
- 1961, J. A. Philip. Mimesis in the Sophistês of Plato. In: Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association 92. p. 467.
- (archaic) Synonym of field in reference to a battlefield.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Arbuthnot to this entry?)
- (obsolete) Alternative spelling of plane: a flat geometric field.
Usage notes
- As with grassland(s), flatland(s), &c., plains can function as the plural of plain (There are ten principal low plains on Mars) or as its synonym (She lives in the plains), with a vague sense of greater expansiveness.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Verb
plain (third-person singular simple present plains, present participle plaining, simple past and past participle plained)
- (obsolete, transitive) To level; to raze; to make plain or even on the surface.
- 1594, Christopher Marlowe, Edward II, London: William Jones,[1]
- Frownst thou thereat aspiring Lancaster,
The sworde shall plane the furrowes of thy browes,
- Frownst thou thereat aspiring Lancaster,
- 1612, George Wither, Prince Henrie’s Obsequies, Elegy 24, in Egerton Brydges (editor), Restituta, Volume I, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1814, p. 399,[2]
- Though kept by Rome’s and Mahomet’s chiefe powers;
They should not long detain him there in thrall:
We would rake Europe rather, plain the East;
Dispeople the whole Earth before the doome:
- Though kept by Rome’s and Mahomet’s chiefe powers;
- 1594, Christopher Marlowe, Edward II, London: William Jones,[1]
- (obsolete, transitive) To make plain or manifest; to explain.
- c. 1608, William Shakespeare, Pericles, Act III, Prologue,[3]
- What’s dumb in show, I’ll plain with speech.
- c. 1608, William Shakespeare, Pericles, Act III, Prologue,[3]
Anagrams
- Aplin, Lipan, Palin, Pinal, in lap, lapin, plani-
Dalmatian
Etymology
From Latin pl?nus. Compare Italian pieno, Romansch plain, Romanian plin, French plein.
Adjective
plain (feminine plaina)
- full
French
Etymology
From Old French plain, from Latin pl?nus. Doublet of plan and piano.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pl??/
- Homophones: plains, plein, pleins
Adjective
plain (feminine singular plaine, masculine plural plains, feminine plural plaines)
- (obsolete) plane
Derived terms
- plain-pied
- plain-chant
Further reading
- “plain” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Anagrams
- alpin, lapin
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French plain, from Latin pl?nus.
Adjective
plain m (feminine singular plaine, masculine plural plains, feminine plural plaines)
- full (not empty)
Old French
Etymology 1
From Latin pl?nus.
Adjective
plain m (feminine plaine)
- full (not empty)
- circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:
- De tant come ele l'ot veü,
- Que plains estoit de felenie.
- As she had seen
- He was full of evil
- Antonym: vuit
- circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:
Descendants
- French: plein
Etymology 2
From Latin pl?num (“level ground, a plain”), neuter substantive from pl?nus (“level, even, flat”).
Noun
plain m (oblique plural plainz, nominative singular plainz, nominative plural plain)
- plain (flat area)
Synonyms
- plaine
Descendants
- ? Dutch: plein
- ? Middle English:
- English: plain
- Scots: plain
Etymology 3
From Latin pl?nus (“level, even, flat”).
Adjective
plain m (oblique and nominative feminine singular plaine)
- flat (not even or mountainous)
Romansch
Alternative forms
- plein (Sursilvan)
- plagn (Sutsilvan, Surmiran)
Etymology
From Latin pl?nus.
Adjective
plain m (feminine singular plaina, masculine plural plains, feminine plural plainas)
- (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) full
plain From the web:
- what plaintiff means
- what plain mean
- what plain is directly below the himalayas
- what plain stretches across europe
- what plain yogurt is good for dogs
- what plain yogurt good for
- what plain jane means
- what planet is closest to the sun
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