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director

Etymology and origin of the English word director

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1477
Borrowed from
Anglo-Norman directour
Ultimate origin
Latin (dīrigere)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /dɪˈrek.tə/, /daɪˈrek.tə/, US /dɪˈrek.tɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Anglo-Norman directour and French directeur,[2][3][4] from Late Latin dīrēctor,[3][4][5] from dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere (“to set straight, arrange, direct”),[3][5] from dis- (“apart”) and regere (“to guide, keep straight”).[2] It is the agent noun of direct.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person or thing that directs or guides: 1477,[6][7] or the late 15th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

A member of the board that manages the affairs of a company is from 1632[6] or the 1630s.[2] A spiritual director in the church is from 1669,[6] and a member of the French Directory of 1795–99 from 1798.[6] One who directs a film or play is from 1911, originally American.[6][2]

Timeline

  • 1477 – a guide, ruler.[6]
  • 1632 – a company director.[6]
  • 1669 – a spiritual director.[6]
  • 1798 – a member of the French Directory.[6]
  • 1911 – a film or theatre director.[6][2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who supervises, controls or manages.
  2. A member of a board chosen to govern a company or institution.
  3. A person who supervises the creative side of a play or film and instructs the actors and crew.
  4. The conductor of an orchestra or choir.

Word family

  • directorship
  • directorate
  • directress
  • art director
  • director general
  • director of photography
  • funeral director

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Director.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/director. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·