di·rect·ly  (d ĭ-r ĕkt l ē, d ī-)
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adv.1. In a direct line or manner; straight: The road runs directly north. 2. Without anyone or anything intervening: directly responsible. 3. Exactly or totally: directly opposite. 4. At once; instantly: Leave directly. 5. Candidly; frankly: answered very directly. 6. Chiefly Southern US In a little while; shortly: He'll be coming directly. conj. Chiefly British As soon as. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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