indirect

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌɪn.dɪˈrekt/, /ˌɪn.daɪˈrekt/^[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Old French indirect (14th century) or directly from Late Latin indīrēctus, not direct,^[2][3][4] from in-, not, and dīrēctus (see direct).^[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Probably before 1387, in a version of Piers Plowman;^[2] the NODE gives the first sense as not in full grammatical agreement.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Of a path or course, not straight, devious, is from 1474,^[7] of actions not straightforward or honest from 1570,^[7] and of a succession not in a direct line from 1596.^[7] Not taking the nearest course to an end is from 1584.^[7] Indirect speech and indirect object are grammatical uses,^[1][8] and indirect lighting is from 1925.^[7] Indirection is from the 16th century.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1387 – indirect.^[2]
• 1474 – of a path, crooked.^[7]
• 1570 – not straightforward.^[7]
• 1584 – roundabout.^[7]
• 1925 – indirect lighting.^[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Not following a straight course; roundabout.
2. Not straightforward or open; devious or evasive.
3. Not coming as a direct result; secondary: indirect benefits.
4. Of a title or inheritance, not passed in an unbroken line from father to son.

Word family

• indirectly
• indirectness
• indirect cost
• indirect discourse
• indirect free kick
• indirect object
• indirect tax

Related words

• indirection
• direct

References

1. ^ a b 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 Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin