different between specific vs direct
specific
English
Alternative forms
- specifick (obsolete)
Etymology
From Old French specifique, from Late Latin specificus (“specific, particular”), from Latin speci?s (“kind”) + faci? (“make”).
Pronunciation
- (General American, UK) IPA(key): /sp??s?f.?k/, /sp??s?f.?k/
- Rhymes: -?f?k
- Hyphenation: spe?cif?ic
Adjective
specific (comparative more specific, superlative most specific)
- explicit or definite
- (sciences) pertaining to a species
- 2008, Richard Dawkins, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing, Oxford 2009, p. 3:
- Science and literature, then, are the two achievements of Homo sapiens that most convincingly justify the specific name.
- 2008, Richard Dawkins, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing, Oxford 2009, p. 3:
- (taxonomy) pertaining to a taxon at the rank of species
- special, distinctive or unique
- intended for, or applying to, a particular thing
- Serving to identify a particular thing (often a disease or condition), with little risk of mistaking something else for it.
- a highly specific test, specific and nonspecific symptoms
- being a remedy for a particular disease
- Quinine is a specific medicine in cases of malaria.
- (immunology) limited to a particular antibody or antigen
- (physics) of a value divided by mass (e.g. specific orbital energy)
- (physics) similarly referring to a value divided by any measure which acts to standardize it (e.g. thrust specific fuel consumption, referring to fuel consumption divided by thrust)
- (physics) a measure compared with a standard reference value by division, to produce a ratio without unit or dimension (e.g. specific refractive index is a pure number, and is relative to that of air)
Synonyms
- (explicit, definite): express, monosemous, unambiguous; see also Thesaurus:explicit
- (special, distinctive or unique): singular; see also Thesaurus:unique
- (intended for a particular thing): peculiar, singular; see also Thesaurus:specific
Antonyms
- unspecific, nonspecific
- (intended for a particular thing): broad, general, generic, universal; see also Thesaurus:generic
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- generic
Noun
specific (plural specifics)
- A distinguishing attribute or quality.
- A remedy for a specific disease or condition.
- 1968, Charles Portis, True Grit:
- I had no unreasonable fear of bats, […] yet I knew them too for carriers of the dread “Hydrophobia,” for which there was no specific.
- 1968, Charles Portis, True Grit:
- Specification
- (in the plural) The details; particulars.
Further reading
- specific in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- specific in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- specific at OneLook Dictionary Search
Romanian
Etymology
From French spécifique.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /spe?t??i.fik/
Adjective
specific m or n (feminine singular specific?, masculine plural specifici, feminine and neuter plural specifice)
- specific
- Antonym: nespecific
Declension
Related terms
- specificitate
specific From the web:
- what specific military tactics does
- what specifically separates during meiosis i
- what specific information on the performance evaluation
- what are military tactics
- best military tactics ever used
- best military tactics
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
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