English
direction
Direction comes from Middle English direccioun, from Old French direccion, from Latin dīrēctiō; equivalent to direct + -ion.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctiō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400direccion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500direccioun
- Englishearliest quotation 1796direction
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctiō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400direccion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500direccioun
- Englishearliest quotation 1796direction
Earliest quotation: 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk: “Her aunt Leonella was still at Cordova, and she…”
Formed from direct + -ion
Latin regō ‘to make straight, rule’
Latin dīrigō ‘to straighten, direct’
Latin dīrēctus ‘laid straight’
English direct
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, real, rich, royal, regular, rank, correct, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rogue, rex, raj, rake, interrogation, regal, regency, rani, rector, rajah, rhesus, eldritch, riel, derailleur, interregnum, dirigible, retch, rectilinear, 76 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to be straightening, to be setting upright’
through Proto-Italic *regō
regional, resource, ruler, regiment, regimen, erectile, erectus, erector, 38 more
through Latin regō ‘to rule, govern, direct’
source, rule, address, region, regime, realm, regulate, regent, dresser, resurrection, erect, undress, dressage, incorrigible, rectify, régime, insurrection, rectum, irregularity, regula, corregidor, rectification, regio, recto, rectus, rectitude, 46 more
through Latin dīrigō ‘to direct to a place, guide, steer’
Today it means
noun A theoretical line (physically or mentally) followed from a point of origin or towards a destination. May be relative (e.g. up, left, outbound, dorsal), geographical (e.g. north), rotational (e.g. clockwise), or with respect to an object or location (e.g. toward Boston).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin dīrēctiō / direction