Directed

How to spell directed

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce directed

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does directed mean?

1. verbPast tense of direct: aimed, guided, or pointed something toward a target or destination.
2. verbPast tense of direct: gave authoritative instructions or orders to someone.
3. verbPast tense of direct: oversaw and shaped a film, play, or performance.

Directed in a sentence

• The officer directed traffic away from the flooded road.

• The judge directed the jury to ignore the earlier remark.

• She directed three short films before her first feature.

• She directed the spotlight toward the centre of the stage.

• Head office directed each branch to close at six.

• The same woman who directed the play also wrote the score.

Where does directed come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word grows from the Latin verb dirigere, meaning 'to set straight, arrange, or guide', which was built from the prefix di- (a form of dis-, here adding force) and regere, meaning 'to rule, lead, or keep in a straight line'. The same regere root sits behind a whole family of English words including 'regent', 'correct', and 'region', all of which carry an idea of ruling, straightening, or marking out. English took the verb 'direct' in the late 1300s, originally in the sense of writing an address on a letter or aiming something toward a target, and the past form 'directed' simply adds the regular -ed ending. Over time the meanings broadened from physically pointing the way to issuing instructions and to supervising a film, play, or organisation. Because the root regere is about keeping things straight, it is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps a clean -rect- in the middle, with no surprises beyond the single c and t.

How the word is built

• di- (apart/intensive)
• rect (from regere: to guide, rule, keep straight)
• -ed (past tense/participle suffix)