Di*rect"ress, n. A woman who directs. Bp. Hurd.
Di*rect"rix (?), n.; pl. E. Directrixes (&?;), L. Directrices (&?;). 1. A directress. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
2. (Geom.) (a) A line along which a point in another line moves, or which in any way governs the motion of the point and determines the position of the curve generated by it; the line along which the generatrix moves in generating a surface. (b) A straight line so situated with respect to a conic section that the distance of any point of the curve from it has a constant ratio to the distance of the same point from the focus.
Dire"ful (?), a. [Dire + - ful.] Dire; dreadful; terrible; calamitous; woeful; as, a direful fiend; a direful day. -- Dire"ful*ly, adv. -- Dire"ful*ness, n.
Dire"ly, adv. In a dire manner. Drayton.
Di*rempt" (?; 215), a. [L. diremptus, p. p. of dirimere to take apart, separate; di- = dis- + emere to buy, orig., to take.] Divided; separated. [Obs.] Stow.
Di*rempt", v. t. To separate by force; to tear apart. [Obs.] Holinshed.
Di*remp"tion (?), n. [L. diremptio.] A tearing apart; violent separation. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Dire"ness (?), n. [Dire- + - ness.] Terribleness; horror; woefulness. Shak.
Di*rep"tion (?), n. [L. direptio, fr. diripere to tear asunder, plunder; di- = dis- + rapere to seize and carry off.] The act of plundering, despoiling, or snatching away. [R.] Speed.
Di*rep*ti"tious (?), a. Characterized by direption. [R.] Encyc. Dict.
Di*rep*ti"tious*ly, adv. With plundering violence; by violent injustice. [R.] Strype.
Dirge (?), n. [Contraction of Lat. dirige, direct thou (imperative of dirigere), the first word of a funeral hymn (Lat. transl. of Psalm v. 8) beginning, "Dirige, Domine, in conspectu tuo vitam meam." See Direct, a., and cf. Dirige.] A piece of music of a mournful character, to accompany funeral rites; a funeral hymn.
The raven croaked, and hollow shrieks of owls
Sung dirges at her funeral.
Ford.
Dirge"ful (?), a. Funereal; moaning.
Soothed sadly by the dirgeful wind.
Coleridge.
Dir"i*ge (?), n. [L. See Dirge.] A service for the dead, in the Roman Catholic Church, being the first antiphon of Matins for the dead, of which Dirige is the first word; a dirge.
Evensongs and placebo and dirige.
Wyclif.
Resort, I pray you, unto my sepulture
To sing my dirige with great devotion.
Lamentation of Mary Magdalene.
Dir"i*gent (?), a. [L. dirigens, p. pr. of dirigere. See Direct, a.] Directing. Baxter.
Dir"i*gent, n. (Geom.) The line of motion along which a describent line or surface is carried in the genesis of any plane or solid figure; a directrix. Hutton.
Dir"i*gi*ble (?), a. Capable of being directed; steerable; as, a dirigible balloon.
Dir"i*ment (?), a. [L. dirimens, p. pr. of dirimere. See Dirempt.] (Law) Absolute.
Diriment impediment (R. C. Ch.), an impediment that nullifies marriage.
Dirk (?), n. [Ir. duirc.] A kind of dagger or poniard; -- formerly much used by the Scottish Highlander.
Dirk knife, a clasp knife having a large, dirklike blade.
Dirk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dirked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dirking.] To stab with a dirk. Sir W. Scott.
Dirk, a. [See Dark, a.] Dark. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Dirk, v. t. To darken. [Obs.] Spenser.
Dirk"ness, n. Darkness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Dirl (?), v. i. & t. [Cf. Drill, Thrill.] To thrill; to vibrate; to penetrate. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
Dirt (?), n. [OE. drit; kin to Icel. drit excrement, drta to dung, OD. drijten to dung, AS. gedrtan.] 1. Any foul of filthy substance, as excrement, mud, dust, etc.; whatever, adhering to anything, renders it foul or unclean; earth; as, a wagonload of dirt.
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
Is. lvii. 20.