directory
/dɪˈɹɛktəɹi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.93 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A list of names, addresses etc, of specific classes of people or organizations, often in alphabetical order or in some classification.
noun
A structured listing of the names and characteristics of the files on a storage device.
noun
A virtual container in a computer's file system, in which files and other directories may be stored. The files and subdirectories in a directory are usually related.
noun
A form of government with a collegial executive whose members jointly exercise power; the executive of such a government.
Example Sentences
- "look up an address in the directory"
- "[…] at the Ufa State Conference it was it was the union's conception of a directory (rather than a dictatorship) to rule anti-Bolshevik Russia that won the day."
Etymology
From Middle English directorie, dyrectorye, from Medieval Latin dīrēctōrium. By surface analysis, direct + -ory. Doublet of directorium. The political sense is a semantic loan from French directoire.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: directorie, dīrēctōrium, directorye, dīrēctōrius
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /dɪˈɹɛktəɹi/
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
directory assistance
directory climbing
directory enquiries
directory service
directory traversal
ex-directory
non-directory