Etymologically
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indirect

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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

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